Tender Sea
by Cynthia Smit
Summary: Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki grew up to become one of the strongest Kunoichi that had ever existed. Recently married and close to achieving her lifelong ambition, everything is ripped from her grasp. This is not the original story The orginal story: /s/9225520/1/Abandoned-Tender-Sea
1. which the two meet

**October 10th – 5th anniversary of Kyuubi no Yoko's defeat... Naruto aged 5.**

"Is it really ok for me to have this?" A young girl with two blonde pigtails asked. In her hands was a candied apple which shone a sparkling red in the festival lights. She held ittentatively in front of her, eyeing it warily yet hungrily.

"Of course!" The giver responded. He was just an average villager whose stall she had come across. The blonde had been caught staring at his wares so of course he offered asweet treat to the small child. "Go ahead, I promise you it's delicious." He smiled but she felt something wrong. Naru quickly shook her head, shaking out the suspicious thoughts.

_He's was kind enough to give it to me so I shouldn't be rude._She thought to herself, plus this looks really delicious! She sniffed the apple, smelling nothing but the saccharide,sugary sweetness that covered it, and took a bite. The candy melted in her mouth and the apple within was still fresh and crunchy. Still, she couldn't understand why it felt sowrong.

"It's delicious." She complimented making the man smile.

"Good, why don't you eat more? If you finish it I'll give you another." The girl wolfed down the first apple, not noticing as the festival goers seemed to stop what they were doingto watch. "Here." The vendor handed her another apple which finished just as fast.

"Thanks Ojisan!" Naru chirped, "But why are you giving me all of these?" She asked as he handed her a third apple.

"Honestly? I just wanted to see how many you could eat..." His response confused her as much as the sneer afterwards unsettled her. All of a sudden the young girl was veryaware of the gazes staring her down as a strange buzzing filled her head. She dropped the half-eaten candied apple in her hands as she felt the energy leave her body, forcing herto kneel as her limbs soon became too weak to hold her up. From the corner of her vision she saw a black blur dash out but it was hard to distinguish who it was as her eyesrefused to focus.

"What did you do to her?" A dog masked Anbu growled out, choking the man as he roughly grabbed his neck and held him up in the air.

"I-I didn't do shit!" The vendor managed to spit out, "The demon brat ate it of its own free will!" The Anbu cursed under his breath and flung the man to the side, sending himthrough the weak, wooden walls of his own stall.

"Tenzo, escort him to Ibiki and the alert Hokage-sama, I'll take Naru to the hospital." A second Anbu jumped down from the roof and threw the now unconscious perpetrator overhis shoulder. Tenzo gave a small nod of acknowledgment to his leader before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. The remaining Anbu scanned the area with disgust, concealed bythe Konoha standardized mask. "What the hell are you all looking at?" He barked at the watching crowd, "Disperse." The civilians were quick to follows his order, scrambling to get away before they also garnered a session with the famed torturer.

"Inu?" Naru asked weakly as the Anbu came to crouch beside her.

"Don't you remember what Hokage-sama always tells you? You should never take candy from a stranger, you silly child." He hid his worry under exasperation.

"Sorry...I for-got." Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and it was hard to talk. Her senses dulled and she could no longer see anything but a haze nor hear anything except for a strange buzz. The only thing she didn't expect was the excruciating pain that came after the frightening numbing.

"Naru...Naru!" She stopped responding and her eyes glazed over before she let out an agonizing scream.

\- - - - - _Mindscape_ \- - - - -

...drip...drip...drip

"Urhg?" The girl groaned and waited for her senses to return. The air smelt of stagnant water, and she was lying in some sort of cool liquid. A constant dripping echoed around the area and as her blue eyes began to refocus she was greeted with darkness. "...Where am I?" She pushed herself up and out of what she hoped was water before pressing forward in the direction of a red glow. The closer she got the more the red light bathed her surroundings, revealing the sides of the tunnel she seemed to be in. Her eyes fixed onto an opening in front of her and her pace quickened slightly only to falter as she reached a dead end marked by large jail-like bars. There were big enough for her to easily fit through the gap but whatever was behind it gave off a foreboding feeling. She turned her body back the way she came only to see her only exit sealed off by a wall, as if it had never existed. "No way," She dashed back to feel for any cracks or openings, "But it was just there! I don't like it here! Let me out dammit!" the girl pounded her small fist against the wall futilely.

**"Shut up, you pitiful human**.**" **A deep voice resonated around the room and she quickly tried to find the source.

"Who the hell are you!?" The girl shouted at the giant cage, "And where am I?"

**"Insolent runt,"** the voice growled, **"What a dim, little, thing you are."**

"Huh? Stop making fun of me," Her fear of being in the unknown was translated into anger towards the mocking stranger, "I dare you to say it again."

**"Of course, come closer and I will spell it out right in front of you."** Unwisely, she did take a few brave steps forward when a large, red, clawed hand shot out.

"Gah!" She stumbled back, falling back into the water. "What the hell was that for?!"

**"Was it not obvious?"** A monstrous, fox-like face pressed itself against the edge of the bars, **"I was hoping to kill you."**

"Ahh!" The five-year old trembled and pointed a shaky finger at the beast, "What kind of monster are you?!"

**"Monster?"** The giant fox scoffed, **"I am a much greater being than you could possibly imagine. I am the great Kyuubi no Kitsune."** The fox smirked showing off its rows of sharp teeth.

"The...Kyuubi?" The world around her shook as the girl tried to comprehend the knowledge or come up with any other possibilities. The walls collapsed began to collapse inwards and the floor below her feet crumbled sending her falling down into the darkness but all she could think of were the demonic red eyes of the most fearsome beast in history.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

"So what happened?" The Hokage asked wearily as he seated himself next to the unconscious girl on the hospital bed.

"Poison," The dog masked Anbu replied tensely, "A civilian male somehow acquired one of Fire country's worst toxin from god knows where and disguised it with sugar. He came up to Naru during the festival offered them to her. She managed to get through two and a half of the laced apples before she collapsed."

"And where is he now?" He didn't like to think his people were capable of hospitalizing a child but at the same time he understood the flaws of the human race all too well.

"Tenzo took him to Ibiki." The Anbu honestly thought the civilian deserved every moment of torture for having ever dared to hurt his charge. "We'll have the name of his supplier within a matter of moments.

"Good." The Hokage nodded approvingly.

"...Jiji?" The patient slowly awoke from her restorative sleep.

"Ah, Naru-chan, you're awake." Sarutobi smiled as he spoke to her in a soft, grandfatherly tone.

"Jiji, what happened?" Naru looked around, blanching at the white of Konoha's hospital. Her body still felt a little stiff and her mind disoriented as she tried to piece together what had happened.

"You were poisoned." He said with a stern look, "Didn't I tell you to be careful of strangers?"

"B-but," She looked a picture of sadness as her eyes began to water, "I thought he might have remembered that it was my birthday..."

"Naru," He gave her a pitying look, "I'm sorry I couldn't spend the day with you like I promised but-"

"You were busy." She finished for him, "I understand. Being Hokage is a tough job for an old man like you. But don't worry, you just have to hang on a little longer before I take that hat and you can live in peaceful retirement!" The Anbu was amused with the amount of...affectionate disrespect she showed and how fast the girl rebounded from the sad moment.

"I look forward to it." The current Hokage responded with a smile. "I might have not been able to stay with you today but I did get you a gift."

"Really!" She bounced excitedly on the bed, "What is it?!"

"Here," She was handed a rather heavy box filled neatly with kunai and shuriken.

"Wow! Thanks Jiji!" She looked at them with anticipation, "I'll be taking that hat sooner than I thought." Sarutobi chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"That's not all," He continued "Inu here has kindly volunteered to help you with any of you training. Just promise me you won't go off on your own."

"I promise. And thank you Inu-san!" Naru shot the Anbu a wide smile which earned her a hair ruffle.

"No problem." The Anbu replied.

"Well, I better get back to my paperwork," The Hokage sighed as he stood slowly, "Is there anything else you need Naru-chan?"

"Oh!" She seemed to have remembered an important fact, "The Yondaime! Did he really kill the Kyuubi? All by himself?" She asked innocently not noticing how the other occupants of the room seemed to stiffen.

"Well he wasn't all by himself," Sarutobi began bit by bit, "He had the whole village with him and a boss of the toad summons, but yes he did defeat the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering," She answered simply, "If I want to surpass him I'll have to get that much stronger then!" The old man pushed any suspicions out of his mind.

"Indeed. Work hard." He said before exiting the room. Inu continued to stand by the bedside, obviously keeping a very tight guard, but his silence allowed her time to think.

_Jiji wouldn't lie to me..._

It was later that week that Naru went to the library to search up the definition of defeat.

**2 years after – Academy graduation day... Naruto age 7.**

"How much further?" A rather ordinary man asked, huffing slightly and adjusting the sack over his shoulder.

"We're here." One of his companions answered, leading him towards a cliff face. The other stayed behind silently, watching with a look of glee on his face.

"Thank god, I was starting to get a bit worn out." He dropped the sac onto the ground and began pulling it over the edge with his friends helping to speed up the process.

"After the rain today the Naka River is looking particularly violent." His companion said, peering over the edge to see the violent currents.

"Perfect." The previously silent man commented, giving the sack a harsh kick that finally sent it over the edge.

"It's done. Let's get back, my wife was planning a celebratory dinner tonight," He led the other man back in the direction of Konoha.

"Oh? Did your son graduate too? Congrats." The three walked backed happily, with small amounts of chatter passing between them.

Falling from edge of the cliff the bonds around the sack loosened, and its contents fell out. Blonde hair which fluttered in the wind, rocks bound to the small limbs and the glint of metal before it was all lost in the white water.

\- - - - -_ Mindscape_ \- - - - -

"Here again..." Naru muttered as she found herself back in that sewer-like place. Once again there was only one way to go, but with the knowledge of what awaited her she hesitated. But maybe, she thought, maybe she would figure out the secret that seemed to revolve around her. With that purpose in mind she strode confidently up to the familiar cavern held the nine tailed beast.

**"Back again?"** The Kyuubi made no attempt to hide himself, showing his furred face right from the start. Naru made sure she was well out his reach, her eyes never straying from the cunning fox.

"Kyuubi." She greeted, with a nod.

**"Good, at least you remembered." **He liked the respect he received though wished there was a bit more fear in her eyes.

"Where are we?" She asked, "And if you really are the Kyuubi why aren't you dead?" The fox scoffed at her, his tails swishing in agitation.

**"Dead? You speak as if you mortals ever had a chance to kill me. Do not think so highly of your weak little selves. As for where we are, are you so stupid that you do not know?"**

"Tell me." Naru growled out. It was bad enough that she was in an unknown place. The fact that she had a cynical monster with her just made it worse.

**"You dare order me?!"** His claw show forward, slashing the area dangerously close to her, **"I see it is not only your ignorance which knows no bounds but your impertinence as well!"**

"I just want to know where the hell I am and why the hell you're not dead!" The girl shouted as she lost whatever composure she had. The Kyuubi sat back on his haunches and sent her a mocking smile.

**"Why should I tell you, runt?"**

"Because!" She shouted at him. He merely ignored her, deciding his time was better spent asleep. Bastard fox, she thought, slightly surprised it sounded so loud.

**"Do not insult me human runt."** The Kyuubi growled.

"How did you hear that?" Naru questioned. Didn't I think it?

**"Shut up and go away." **He responded. "It is hard to sleep when you are being so loud."

_YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK!_

**"SILENCE!" **The fox roared. This time Naru completely ignored him, sitting on the floor cross-legged with a thoughtful expression across her face. Memories flitted past and it was more than once that she could remember villagers muttering 'demon' as she passed. The fact that the fox could hear her thoughts only added to her suspicions and growing sense of dread.

"So you finally understand." The fox stated, watching the human child that was his jailor.

"But it can't be!" She denied, "No way! How is it even possible?"

**"Oh, you humans are known for making the impossible happen, especially in dire situations."** He gave her a calculative look. **"It is written in your history books is it not?** **You had better thank your precious Yondaime."** Naru felt her world tear a little. To think that the man she admired and looked up to the most had done something like this to her. It was incomprehensible.

**"I was not lying when I said to be thankful,"** the fox continued, **"In fact why don't you stretch that gratitude to myself? After all without me you would be dead countless times already."**

"If he hadn't done something like that I wouldn't have been put in those situations!" The blonde exclaimed. In the large gap in her memories, from graduating to Iruka's promise of ramen, it was easy to assume she had been attacked again. Which meant right now, she was most likely dying, again.

**"You really are stupid, for someone like you to be my container...what a disappointment."** She bristled as the words hit her particularly deep. She wasn't a disappointment. She was going to make her precious people proud.

"...Do you know why? Why the Fourth chose me?" She asked, unusually sedate.

**"I do not share the same mindset as you foolish beings, therefore, I can only speculate."** He answered, being rather civil.

"Then, why do you think he chose me?" Naru reworded the question.

**"... I'll make a trade with you,"** the fox offered, "Anything I know as long as you remove this tag." A lone tail swept out of the cage and directed her attention to a small slip of paper. The girl vaguely recognized the design as the same one that appeared on her stomach whenever she accessed her chakra.

"What happens if I remove it?" She questioned. The fox stayed silent and it was all the answer she needed. As much as her curiosity burned she wouldn't risk a questionable deal.

**"Are you fine with not knowing?" **The fox probed. It was obvious she wasn't but she would do.

"I'll ask Jiji." Naru huffed.

**"And how will he respond?"** His face loomed closer as he spoke, **"The same Jiji that hid my existence from you?"** She faltered.

"I'll have to ask and see his answer myself then!" The blonde exclaimed.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

Her second awakening was rather abrupt, and she could feel a painful burning in her lungs. Instinctively she coughed, vomiting out a decent amount of water.

"Are you alright?" The asker was an older teen with onyx eyes, and black hair tied in a low ponytail. Despite his young age he was dressed in the customary, Konoha-issued Anbu gear with his mask hanging by his waist.

"Yes," She shivered slightly as the wind swept past her drenched body, "Thank you for saving me, Weasel-san." It was strange to actually see his face for once. She was sure if he didn't have his mask she wouldn't be able to recognize him by his looks. Of course his voice, no matter how little he spoke, was something she would be able to pick out due to the unique calming tenor.

"It's fine." He returned his mask to its usual position and gently picked her up, providing a small amount of bodily warmth. "I'll take you to the hospital." He continued, "Do you remember what happened?"

"No," She felt the back of her head, wincing at a particularly tender spot, "I must have been knocked out."

"I see."

"Jiji!" Naru skipped into the Hokage office, showing no effects of the previous life-endangering situation.

"Ah, Naru-chan," Sarutobi sighed in relief, "It's good to see you're doing well."

"Mmhm! Plus, look!" She held up her headband for him to see, "I graduated as rookie of the year and Iruka promised that he'd buy me ramen tomorrow...as much as I want too."

"Congratulations." The old Hokage smiled but wavered slightly at the end, "But Weasel told me you got into a bit of trouble before. He found you sinking into the Naka River with stones tied to you. You swallowed a lot of water and stopped breathing so he had to perform CPR. We've already found the perpetrators and decided they would be perfect for Ibiki's apprentice to practice on. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, really. But CPR?" The girl tilted her head to the side, "What's that?

"It stands for Cardiopulmonary resuscitation." She knew that word wouldn't stay in her head for long, "Don't you remember studying it in the academy?" Naru shook her head, she was most likely asleep that day.

"Nope."

"Basically it's used to save drowning people by forcing air into their lungs and pushing down on their chest to get there heart beating." He explained.

"Oh! Mouth-to-mouth." She remembered. "Wait...mouth-to-mouth...?" He nodded and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. I feel like a total girl, she thought as the meaning came to mind, I hope I get over this soon.

"Are you ok?" The Hokage asked seeing the girl's face redden. He thought it could've been a fever but soon began chuckling at the real reason. "I think Fugaku should be proud of having such a strong and handsome ninja as his son." He commented slyly.

"Jiji, stop it." Naru whined, "It's embarrassing."

"Ah, my little Naru's growing up." He said wistfully. It was a very familial moment shared between them that brought out a peaceful atmosphere, yet that in itself gave her time to think as she dragged her thoughts to a more imperative topic.

"Ne," She began slowly, "You promised never to lie to me right Jiji."

"Of course," He replied, taking note of her change in demeanour, "Is there something you want to ask?"

"Do I... do I have the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed into me." She looked up to see shock all over his face. She was never one for hedging but maybe she needed more tact when discussing matters like this.

"How-" He sighed, suddenly appearing much older, "Yes."

"So it's true." She murmured under her breath. Though, it was good that he was keeping to his word.

"May I ask how you found out?" He asked seriously, wondering if he would have to order an execution anytime soon.

"I met him." Naru replied.

"You met him?" Sarutobi repeated. He had full trust in the previous Hokage's sealing abilities but if by a small chance the Kyuubi got out there would be hell to pay. "How?"

"Well, when I was...dying I entered...my mind? And he was just sitting there, in a big cage." She explained rather badly.

"Did he say anything?" Sarutobi asked slightly worried. Maybe he should get Inoichi to check the girl.

"He insulted me." She began, "And then I figured out that the Yondaime sealed him into me but, I don't know why? Jiji, why did he have to choose me?" Her tone became pleading and she pinned her surrogate grandfather with a hurt filled stare, "Why didn't you tell me I had the Kyuubi?"

"You were too young, and you still are." He replied with a sigh, "I didn't want you to know until you were sixteen or at least a chuunin."

"That's a long time." She noted, more than twice her current age.

"With knowledge comes responsibility." He quoted, "I wanted you to be able to handle it but you're doing quite well at the moment."

"He hasn't done anything terribly bad to me so far," Naru stated, "He just seems grumpy all the time but I guess I would be too if I was caged up and sealed away... I think compared to Kyuubi who I know is evil and the people that threw me into the river, who could have been anyone on the street, I'm more afraid of them." The Hokage stayed silent, he understood where she was getting at but the knowledge did nothing to reassure him. "So why did the Yondaime choose me?" She reiterated.

"I-...I can't tell you, not yet." Sarutobi answered, "I made a promise that I would wait until you reach chuunin level."

"A promise?" She understood it was bad to break them so she wouldn't pressure him too hard, "To who?"

"Your parents." He replied.

"My parents?" The topic was a new area for her. "Did you know them Jiji?"

"Of course," He said with a smile, "I know every ninja inside this village. But-"

"I can't know who they are?" She guessed. He nodded with a minute smile.

"I promise, when you are older." He assured, "But, if you happen to figure out who your parents are or why the Yondaime chose you beforehand...well, then I wouldn't exactly be breaking my promise. The hints are all there for you. You're a smart girl Naru-chan, if you want to know you'll be able to find your answer." She remained slightly unconvinced but realized in the end it was all a matter of time.

"And if I can't figure it by the time I'm chuunin you'll tell me anyway?" He nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll have to do my best then." She gave him a soft smile, "I think I'll head off to the library."

"I'll have Tenzo escort you." As he spoke a lone Anbu appeared beside her.

"Thanks." She gave Sarutobi a small wave before dashing out of the door, Anbu in tow.

"Inu," Sarutobi called as he addressed the second hidden Anbu.

"Hokage-sama." The grey haired Anbu answered

"I heard that you'll be resigning from Anbu in the next few days," The Hokage leant back in his chair, lighting his pipe, "If that's case I have the perfect mission for you."


	2. Terms and conditons

**2 years after – Konohagakure in the dead of night ...Naruto aged 9**

\- - - - - _Mindscape_ \- - - - -

"I'm pretty sure I'm not dying...so why the hell am I back here?" Naru asked, looking around the sewer-like area. It was exactly as she remembered except for an odd noise coming from the direction where the Kyuubi lay. "What is that?" She walked a bit closer and her findings surprised her, "A child?!" She picked up her pace and settled into a light run, "How could a kid be here?"

"Mama?" A small girl with dark red hair and thin white yukata turned to look at her as she entered. Her eyes were puffy from crying and she was still sniffling miserably.

"Sorry, but I'm not your mum." Naru sent the child a warm smile, "But can you tell me how you got here? Actually maybe it would be better if you came over here." She made a coaxing motion, trying to get the kid out of harm's way, more specifically on to her side of the bars.

"No! Mama said to wait here!" The girl was fairly determined despite the fact she had been crying so much.

"But you can't stay there, it's dangerous!" Naru exclaimed.

"Why?" Now she looked around the cage seemed empty to the blonde, but she guessed the fox could be lurking anywhere within its shadows.

"There's a monster in there." She answered, "Now come here."

"Monster!?" The child was paralyzed by the realization, "I don't want to get eaten!" She started bawling sending Naru into a flustered state.

"Shhh! Just wait a second and I'll get you out." Against her better judgement she ran up to the cage but a strange force seemed to prevent her from slipping in the wide gaps.

"What the hell is this?!" She figured if the fox could swipe at her then obviously she would be able to enter his domain but apparently it was wrong.

"Iyah! I don't want to die!" The kid was doing a good job screaming her lungs out but Naru couldn't help but wonder where the fox demon was.

"Maybe..." She looked up at the seal tagged onto the centre most bar, "Is that stopping me?"

"MAMA!"

"Just give me a sec kid!" If it was the seal stopping her then there was no way to save the kid unless she took it off. Then again wouldn't that be freeing the fox? "Hey kid," She paused and stared straight at the crying figure, "How did you get in there?"

"I dunno..." She sniffled. The more Naru thought about it the stranger the situation seemed. After all, they were either in her stomach, or mind, or the seal, but whichever one it happened to be...wouldn't that be accessible to only the fox and herself? "Ah...you figured it out..." The child's voice changed to something more guttural as it stood to face the kunoichi. Red eyes clashing with blue.

"Kyuubi!" Naru growled, "That was low."

**"If it means my freedom, I am not below using a child's body."** He answered simply enough. **"Maybe this would have been better?"** The child's form shifted into that of a beautiful woman with a slender yet very feminine frame, the yukata now hanging loosely off her shoulders. Crimson hair lengthened, falling in soft waves and pooling on the ground, also framing a deceptively kind face. To the blonde, the bloody colour of the fox's eyes seemed wrong on the woman. "My dear, Naru-chan." Even his voice had become softer, more mellow and...loving.

"I admit you make a pretty convincing woman." Naru acknowledged, "But I'm not going to be letting you out anytime soon, sorry Kyuubi."

"Not even for me?" The woman continued, "Your Oka-san?"

"Oka-san? What are you talking about? You're definitely the fox, don't try to fool me." The blonde replied.

**"...So that's it,"** The fox responded, picking up on the girl's thoughts, **"You still do not know, do you? Who your parents are and what they look like."**

"I don't," She admitted, "But I'll find out soon enough and until then, I can wait. By the way stop changing your voice, it's weird." The fox stayed silent, debating his next action.

"Also," She began, "Do you know why I'm here? Am I dying again?"

**"No, I brought you here this time."** The fox confessed. He had watched her carefully for two years. It passed as quick as a blink of an eye for an immortal demon like him, but for humans there was an awful lot that could happen. He watched on grudgingly, searching for the moment she slipped but as she progressed so did his thoughts. When she had her first kill a few months back the fox had finally made his choice.

"Huh, why?" Naru thought he seemed strangely placated compare to the last two times and found it easier to uphold a civil conversation. "I'm telling you again that I definitely won't be touching that seal."

**"That is...fine."** He said reluctantly, **"In fact, I would like to make a deal with you."**

"A deal? No offence but why should I trust you?" She asked sceptically. The Kyuubi strode up to the bars in his female form.

**"We foxes are cunning, intelligent and wise," **The red-haired woman answered, **"You will never fool a fox, but they will seduce you, lure you and entrap you within their snare." **The form shimmered and the girl was faced with a rather formidable man. The slender body filled out, becoming more defined and masculine, even growing a couple heads taller. The silky crimson hair became unruly, spiking out like a mane while the face became more chiselled losing the feminine softness. His complexion also darkened, contrasting to the woman's previous creaminess. The most startling feature though, was definitely the nine furry tails which swayed behind him and the furry new appendages a top his head. **"But above all, we Kitsunes keep our words. Not that much different to your own nindo."**

"My nindo? Of course you'd know." The girl muttered under her breath, even though it was heard clearly in the end, "But how can I trust those words?"

**"Truthfully? You cannot."** He stared her straight in the eyes, **"But why not consider it?"**

"Well, I guess it can't hurt if you're just talking," She shrugged and conceded, "Go ahead. What are you offering and what do you want from me?"

**"I will offer you power,"** He answered, **"Enhanced senses, knowledge, any jutsu you wish for, limitless chakra reserves. Everything I have."**

"And in return?" She wondered what he could want so badly from her.

**"Blood, the blood of a disillusioned fool,"** The man the fox masqueraded as let out a feral snarl, **"The pathetic coward of a human who dared to control me with his cursed eyes."**

"And you'll give me your... everything if I can kill one man?" Naru asked in disbelief, "You must really hate him."

**"Hate? I loathe him." **The fox clarified as if it wasn't already obvious, **"I am offering you all I have because that is what it will take to defeat him. As much as I hate to admit it, he is powerful."**

"Who do you want me to kill?" She wondered.

**"A human far past his time. I ask the life of Madara, Uchiha Madara."**

"Madara? Isn't he dead." She questioned. Naru remembered at least that much of Iruka's lessons.

**"Far from it."** The fox gave a growl of annoyance.

"That actually a pretty good deal," She confessed, "But how do you know I'll uphold my end of the deal?"

**"I have observed you. As I said before, I understand your nindo, you would not betray or do perform any other corrupt act."** She was slightly touched that he trusted her to that extent.

"And how am I supposed to find him. The Elemental nations are huge and he could be anywhere."

**"He will come to you."** The Kyuubi replied, **"You, who is my jailor, holds an essential component for his eventual plan, that is myself. If he wants to obtain me he will have to kill you first."**

"What!? Tell me that first next time!" She didn't want some homicidal maniac after her, "And what's his master plan anyway?"

**"I think it was world domination,"** He held his chin in a thoughtful and very human manner, **"More specifically the enslavement of every living being in the world to his will."**

"...I think you should have mentioned that earlier as well." The girl mumbled. "Stupid zombies and their stupid, evil ambitions."

**"But the most troublesome thing is the fact that he can accomplish it,"** The man continued, **"When it comes to him it is not an empty dream but a possible you should kill him, for both of our sakes."**

"I guess I can't argue with that." Naru acknowledged.

**"And I will do everything in my power to help you."** He promised, **"Though if you do find yourself on the losing side, I recommend killing yourself before he can get to you."**

"What?! Why?" She never liked to entertain the thought of suicide.

**"Because then you are guaranteed a comparatively painless death, and the fool loses an essential element. If you die, I will die as well."** He explained, **"Of course after a while I would be reborn into the world but hopefully by then the fool's time would be over."**

"Well, if he's going to come after me anyway, and I'll have to stop his plan of world domination, I guess it wouldn't be too bad to make a deal with you." She surmised.

**"Good choice...kit."**

**3 years after – Team selection day...Naruto aged 12**

"Mornin' Inu-sensei." The blonde shifted out of her meditative state, opening her eyes just in time to see a lazy silver haired jounin jumped down from the trees.

"Yo." He greeted with a wave before pulling out an orange covered book, "I told you countless times already to call me Kakashi-sensei, Naru-chan."

"And I told you countless times to stop reading that trash." The girl retorted, pointing a kunai at the novel.

"...Well then, it's team selection day." Her sensei announced, moving onto another topic.

"I know, I heard it from Jiji yesterday." Naru stood and dusted her clothes off. All she had on was a pair of black shorts, an orange tank, and a pair of plated, fingerless gloves she nearly never took off, the rest of her clothes having been put to the side while she warmed up. Naru walked up to the small pile of her belongings and picked up her weapon pouch, strapping it onto her thigh, before slipping on a black sleeveless hoodie. "What time do we need to get there?" She asked, tying her headband around her forehead.

"Hmm," He bent down and picked up an orange tanto wrapped with a chain, handing it to the girl who threaded it through her belt, "We have about two hours till the other jounins begin to arrive. So that means roughly five hours." He replied accounting for his lateness.

"And I absolutely have to go this time?" Naru questioned. She had long gotten over the excitement of possibly having teammates when she had seen how weak some of them were and how high Kakashi had raised his standards. But they continued to test them out, as per Sarutobi's conditions. "Can't I go train with Gai-san and his team today or something?" Kakashi's visible eye twitched at the mention of his 'youthful' rival.

"No, not this time," He sighed, "It looks like you'll actually be getting team mates."

"Are they that good?" Naru asked raising a brow in interest.

"Well, there's a lot of potential." He began, pulling out an info sheet, "Haruno Sakura, excellent chakra control but small reserves. Scored a full marks on the written exam, and passed as an average on the practical. Her Ninjutsu was good, but her taijutsu was below standard and her weapon accuracy isn't anything special either. Seems to have a slight obsession with your next teammate" Kakashi listed out the information, "Sasuke Uchiha,"

"Uchiha..." Naru echoed.

"The 'last' Uchiha and rookie of the year," Kakashi used the term last rather loosely, "He did slightly above average on the written exam and high to near perfect on the practical, high average on taijutsu and weapon accuracy and perfect on the basic academy jutsu. Slightly arrogant personality and bent on revenge and the restoration of his clan." Naru clenched her fist, bringing her attention down to her hands. The sight of the gloves which protected her hands and most part of her arms calmed her down significantly.

"I wonder where he got them." Kakashi thought aloud, glancing at the gloves, "It's amazing those have lasted a full year in our trade. Must have been expensive, though he probably had a lot of money to spare."

"He told me he picked it up from the Land of Iron." Kakashi let out a whistle of appreciation.

"And the weasel lives up to his name, sneaking into a no-ninja territory." They both spent a moment to reminisce in the memory of their comrade.

"Well if that's all we have for today I think I'll stop by the ramen stand and then head to the Academy." She pulled out a fat, frog shaped wallet, "Gama-chan is looking particularly happy these past few days."

"Iruka-sensei!" Naru called, running up to her old teacher with a rather large metal box. He sighed at the sight of it but it was really just another part of the prodigal girl.

"Ah, Naru-chan, I was expecting you." The friendly brunet said with a smile. "I have a good feeling this time around, plus they'll be the same age as you."

"Kakashi said that the next two are probably going to stay." She passed on, "You both have high hopes."

"I believe in all my students." Iruka answered thoughtfully. She smiled fondly up at the man in response. "Right, this is the room." He stated, pointing at the classroom one down from last year's. "You know the drill-"

"Stay quiet and don't interrupt." Naru finished dutifully. He shot her and the box a final look before opening the door, making way for the girl to enter first. "Thanks." She walked into the lively room, filled with upcoming ninja and possible future comrades, taking the time to look around and observe.

"Alright, quiet down." Iruka called over the noise. He was proud that the class seemed to listen quicker than usual, probably eager to hear of the team placements.

"Sensei! Who's that?" An Inuzuka asked loudly. He had a rather cute white pup dozing quietly on his head.

"Class, this is Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka introduced, "She's a fellow shinobi who will be here to observe."

"Nice to meet you." Naru greeted with a wave, smiling up at a particular Hyuga. She went over to sit by the side of the room while Iruka got down to business.

"Now then first of all I'd like to congratulate you all for passing the graduation exam. I'm proud of you all and every one of you preformed wonderfully," The teachers earnest words elicited small blushes and embarrassed smiles on his adorable students. There was a soft clatter to the side where Naru was opening the metal box and soon the aroma of food began to waft into the room.

"Uh, sensei..."

"Anyway," Iruka continued, "Today I'll be placing you into team of three-" He was interrupted by a noisy slurp but ignored it to the amazement of his students, "And you'll each be assigned a jounin as your teacher. It's as simple as that." A student diligently raised his hand, "What is it Chouji-kun?"

"Ah, are we allowed to eat noodles inside the classroom?" He wondered. Another loud slurp echoed throughout the room before Iruka could answer.

"Yes...But I'd ask that you don't distract the students!" He put on a demon face as he shouted, hitting the blonde observer with some rolled up paper.

"Ouch." She winced and rubbed the back of her head. "Iruka-sensei, you must be angry due to lack of ramen, here." She swiftly swirled a bundle of still hot noodles around her chopsticks before shoving then in the brunet's mouth in one smooth motion.

"Mmf?" He gave her an annoyed look but swallowed the delicious mouthful, "Please refrain from doing that next time." He said in a tone that showed he was all too used to the girl's quirks. "Back to the team placements, Team 1 will be..." Iruka's monotonous droning somehow made Naru insignificant to the students as they all listened carefully, "...Team 7 will be Sakura and Sasuke," The pink haired girl shot her rival a victorious look before sending shy glances at her new teammate who didn't look at all pleased, "Your jounin leader will he Hatake Kakashi and his apprentice will fill in the third spot in your team. Team 8 will be Hinata, Kiba and Shino with Kurenai Yuuhi as leader. Team 9 will be Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji and you'll be led by Asuma Sarutobi..." Iruka finished off his announcement and looked up from the sheet he was reading off. "Are there any questions?" Sakura raised her hand. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Who is our team's third member?" She asked. Naru shot a look to Iruka that went unnoticed by most people except the more observant individuals, specifically a certain Nara.

"Ah, you'll meet her later." Iruka answered unsure. The last Uchiha took particular note of this, finding it strange for a team to have two girls.

"Is she strong?" Sasuke said speaking up for the first time since they had entered the classroom.

"Of course." Iruka replied rather proudly. "If that's everything, you can all go out for lunch but be back here at 1:00 to meet your jounins." Iruka left the room to continue his daily jobs leaving Naru alone with his student. At the moment she was in an intense staring contest with the Nara as he tried to decipher her. It was definitely surprising for the class to watch as the timid and shy Hyuga was first to start a conversation with the newcomer.

"Um, Naru-chan," She asked quietly, too soft for an eavesdroppers to hear, "What brings you here today?"

"Oh, Hinata-chan!" Naru greeted with a smile, "This is a normal thing for me. For the past four years I've always come to the academy during team selections. Just scouting out my fellow comrades I guess."

"For four years? Why?" The Hyuga asked surprised.

"Teammate searching. By the way you must be hungry," She rummaged around her pockets an unsealed an elegant looking bento, "Neji told me you forgot your lunch this morning so he asked me to pass this to you."

"Neji-niisan? Thank you." Hinata graciously accepted. She opened the box revealing an artfully made selection of food.

"You know, I bet Neji was the one to make that," Naru said with a cheeky smile, "On the same note have you seen him in an apron before, he'd make a good housewife." The blonde handed Hinata a photograph of a very feminine looking male in what was clearly a woman's apron.

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata giggled softly but mentally scolded herself for agreeing with her friends words.

"Oi, Hinata!" The Inuzuka from before called, "Is she your friend? Introduce us." He walked over to join them, followed by his future teammate.

"Of course." Hinata replied, "Kiba-kun, Shino-kun this is Uzumaki Naruto, Naru-chan, this is Inuzuka Kiba, his partner Akamaru and Aburame Shino."

"Nice to meet you two." Naru greeted, "I trust you'll make sure Hinata stays safe?"

"You bet!" Kiba shouted eagerly, "We're a team now after all." Akamaru barked in agreement and Shino gave a small nod.

"Well, I think you should all have lunch together, team bonding and what not." Naru called with a smile.

"What about you?" Hinata asked.

"My ramen is calling and I'd like to pay it my full attention." The blonde answered with a serious look. She replaced her now empty bowl with a fresh one from the metal box.

"Ah." Hinata took her word for it as soon as the blonde's eyes seemed to glaze over with adoration. She and her teammates moved to sit together near the back, chatting quite happily.

"Well, I guess there won't be any major problems with Team 8." She mumbled to herself, taking a large bite of the noodles. "Damn, I waited too long and they're going soggy."

She quickened her pace, slurping down the second bowl within the minute.

"Geez, she could probably give even you a run for you money Chouji," She heard a girl comment. Naru looked up to see the trademark platinum blonde of Ino Yamanaka. She had visited the flower shop once or twice and caught sight of the busy girl but never interacted with her.

"Hey you," She turned her head to see Sasuke staring at her with Sakura standing faithfully behind him. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear Iruka-sensei before?" Naru questioned, putting down her bowl, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, today's observer. I guess you could say I'm taking over for Mizuki."

"Oh right!" Sakura realized, "Where is Mizuki-sensei?"

"I think at the moment he would be in the T.I. headquarters." She answered.

"Huh, why?" Ino asked. She was familiar with the place thanks to her dad and it was definitely not a place shinobi ever wanted to go. "Is he thinking of quitting and changing squads?"

"Nope," Naru gave a slightly feral grin, "He's probably being tortured for information right now."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed louder than anyone else. "Why!?"

"Oi, calm down and stop shouting in my ear." Naru said with a wince, "It's simple really, yesterday he was found as a traitor when he attempted to steal the village's forbidden scroll." Most of the class was shocked by the revelation and she hoped Iruka wouldn't mind their new-found knowledge.

"How do you know all of this?" Shikamaru questioned, turning everyone's attention back to the girl.

"Who do you think apprehended him?" She asked back. "Anyway, I'd get back to your seats, lunch is just about over." They did as she advised, mostly to contemplate the information. The students waited patiently and one by one their jounin leaders came to pick them up until there were only two left.

"So, Naruto," Sakura began, "Did you graduate yesterday as well?"

"No, I became a ninja a few years back." She answered.

"When?" Sasuke asked. He didn't like the fact their sensei was late but joining the conversation would at least keep him entertained.

"About, five years ago." Naru pulled out the third and final bowl of ramen.

"Five years ago?" Sakura did the math in her head. The girl looked about her age so... "When you were seven?"

"Yep."

"What rank are you then?" The Uchiha asked, not liking the idea that he was in the presence of some sort of prodigy.

"Genin." The blonde answered simply.

"You stayed a genin for five years?" He questioned, maybe she wasn't such a genius then.

"It's not like it was by choice," She snapped, "I can't even take the chuunin exams since they require a team and field promotions are rare."

"You don't have a team?" Sakura repeated in disbelief, "Why?"

"Because my sensei set's his standards to high. Anyway, I'd sit tight if I were you. Kakashi probably won't come for a couple more hours." She packed up her lunch and walked towards the door, "I have prior engagements so I'll see you later." Even before she had stepped through the door she was gone in a swirl of leaves.

"So? What do you think?" Kakashi asked as his apprentice popped up beside him.

"The whole class was filled with heirs. And they all seemed competent enough for freshly minted graduates." She reported.

"And of your new teammates?" He probed.

"I don't like them," Naru said immediately, "But I don't particularly dislike them either."

"But you can see the potential can't you?" She nodded.

"Yeah, but they need work," She grimaced, pretending not to care as her teacher pulled out his porn, "A lot of work."

"And that's why they'll be on this team." He said with his patented eye-smile, "By the way I hope you understand if they pass we'll both be going back to D-ranks." Naru groaned in response, hitting her forehead on the nearby railing.

**A/N And that's the end of this chapter.**

**The deal is sealed. And it's the beginning of a beautiful, symbiotic relationship between a demon fox and a sunny blonde.**

**If you were still wondering the Hokage's mission for Inu was Naru's apprenticeship with Kakashi, granted that each year they search for members to fit their eventual team.**

**Uh, people may seem ooc but it's all within reason. i.e Hinata's missing stutter is due to the early befriending of Naru and the lack of Neji's anger (also due to Naru).**

**...**

**Well that's all I have to say...**

**So thanks for reading.**


	3. Lose of a brother

**4 years later – Valley of the End... Naru aged 16**

"Sasuke..." Naru hissed in disgust standing over his kneeling form, "Or would it be more fitting to call you Orochimaru now?" She looked over the pitiful state of a possessed Sasuke. Since he deserted them they were no longer comrades, from the time he almost killed Sakura they were no longer teammates, and after clashing with him so many times Naru wondered if they were still brothers. It was unlikely, as Sai would state the bonds had been shattered, torn apart by Sasuke himself. She'd like to hold the belief that it was due the curse mark that Sasuke had lost the rational part of his mind, but it was only her own desperation. Fuelled by vengeance and power hungry, Sasuke turned traitor. "It's over." The blonde stated with a sense of finality.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted feeling the pain of all his wounds. His cursed form had receded due to chakra depletion and his body was littered with deep cuts and bruises, not to mention a couple of broken ribs and limbs. The battle had been intense and he wasn't the only one that suffered, Naru looked far worse and it was amazing she was the one standing. The destruction of most of her clothes, leaving her barely decent, showed numerous amounts of harsh burns and cuts. Her usually bright, blonde hair was dyed red with both of their blood and she had an obvious limp. Though by far her worst wound was the gaping hole she had received through her heart, which thanks to the Kyuubi, was slowly closing up.

"You sure are a persistent pest aren't you?" The possessed Sasuke gritted out, glaring at her with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

"I could say the same to you." Naru spat back, putting as much acid into her voice as possible, "I've chased after Sasuke for roughly four years and when I finally catch him I find trash like you in his place."

"Watch it!" Orochimaru sneered, hoping to drag out the conversation long enough for him to regain some chakra, "I only gained full possession of this body about a couple months back when Sasuke began questioning his decision."

"What are you talking about," Naru scoffed, "That teme chose to go with you willingly." Despite the pain to his vessel, Orochimaru cackled maliciously.

"That may be so," He admitted, "But it seems like the nonsense you would spout at him every time you confronted each other were starting to get to him. After my dear boy killed Itachi and completed his revenge, he was prepared to return to the village and atone for his sins."

"What?" the blonde said shocked. Sasuke would have returned? The thought caused the demon fox inside her to growl.

**"What are you doing just standing there listening to the snake!'' **He shouted in her mind. **''Finish him off and be done with it.''** Naru nodded and pulled out a kunai, too weak to perform any jutsu. It was too late though, Orochimaru had used her naivety to stall for enough time, and was now going through numerous hand seals. Naru growled at her own foolishness and lunged forward only to find her feet anchored to the ground by snakes.

"Kinjutsu – Shitai Kyushu-ho!" Orochimaru reached out his hand towards Naru's abdomen as she struggled but he felt his vessel freeze for a split second. She noticed this and watched as slowly, the hand was drawn back just before touching her. "Dammit!" Orochimaru shouted, "Why can't I control my body?!" Faster than her eyes could follow he began performing a multitude of hand signs, cursing loudly all the while.

"Your body?" The same mouth uttered in an entirely different tone.

"Sasuke-teme?" Naru questioned unsurely. The possessed body gave her one of the famous Uchiha smirks.

"How is it going dobe?" Sasuke replied, "You miss me?"

"You shouldn't be alive!" Orochimaru exclaimed from the same body. It was confusing to watch but by listening to the tones of the voices, Naru knew who was who.

"You didn't think I was going down that easily did you?" Sasuke mocked. During the whole time his hands continued to move, speeding up slightly.

"What are you doing?" the ex-Sannin screeched, "Give me back my body!" Sasuke scoffed in response.

"I hardly think it's your body you thief!" Sasuke replied.

"Does this mean you've got your body back?" Naru asked excitedly only for her hope to diminish as Sasuke shook his head.

"Sorry Naru but –" He was interrupted.

"Tell me what technique you're preforming!" Orochimaru demanded, "I don't recognize the hand seals."

"I bet it's going to be a super powerful jutsu that'll get rid of Orochi-teme, right?" Naru offered. Sasuke shook his head again.

"You should know by now, even if you're a dobe," Sasuke explained, "I'm stuck with the slimy bastard and there is no way to get rid of him." Orochimaru tried to cut him off but was pushed back as Sasuke finished the technique.

"Sorry dobe, but this'll hurt." The Uchiha came towards her and covered her eyes with his left hand while the right finished the last few seals, "Kinjutsu – Ketsueki Iten!"

"What–" Naru managed to say, feeling a warm liquid run over her eyes, before she the pain Sasuke mentioned came. It started as a dull ache in her eyes which only intensified as it spread throughout her whole body. Held in place by the snakes, she bit back a scream, not wanting to show any weakness.

"You're holding up fairly well," Sasuke stated, his breathing laboured. As his hands were removed, Naru was frightened, finding that she couldn't see anything except an expanse of darkness.

"Sasuke, what did you do?" Naru gasped, feeling tears run down her cheek from the pain. She didn't have to wait for his answer as Orochimaru responded for her.

"My eyes!" He cried angrily, "What have you done to my Sharingan!"

"I gave it away." Sasuke told them both, "Naru, I can't hold him back much longer, and you're handicapped with the loss of your sight at the moment." He used her name to convey the seriousness of the situation, "Use this chance to kill me."

"I can't!" Naru answered quietly, "I was prepared to do it before but now you're here I want to save you!"

"You can't!" Sasuke told her the blunt reality, grabbing her hand which clutched a kunai.

"Do it!" He guided her to his throat and Naru gave a sob, "Do it." He repeated sadly.

"Sasuke..." Naru murmured.

**''Just do it kit,'**' Kyuubi advised, **''It's his last wish that to die by your hands rather than be supressed by the snake.'' **Naru took a deep breath and steeled herself, pushing back her personal emotions and adapting her mindset to that of a veteran ninja.

"Farewell, my brother, may I see you in hell." She grinned foxily at him before swiping her weapon along his throat. Despite her sudden blindness she felt the spray of warm blood and the smirk of satisfaction directed at her.

\- - - - - _Mindscape_ \- - - - -

**"Kit,"** Naru sat in her mindscape as she listened to the fox's comforting words, **"It's been two days already. How long do you plan to cry for?"**

"But, Sasuke..." the girl looked down at her hands which were covered in blood, "I killed him. I killed my brother!" She sobbed and looked around her desolate mind. The walls of the sewer were dyed crimson as she herself knelt in a pool of black liquid.

**"I know, but you have to move on. It's in a ninja's line of work and he was prepared for the consequences of his actions." **Naru stayed silent while the Kyuubi snuck a tail out of his cage. The furred appendage gently wrapped around the frail looking girl before dissipating in a red mist. **"You don't need to hurry,"** he began, **"But you have your important people in the real world worrying about you. At least give them a reason to be relieved."** Naru nodded and stood mechanically,

"You right," She wiped her tears away, "I've still got important things to do and there are enemies after me."

**"Train,"** the demon suggested, **"It'll keep your mind off things and help prepare you for future battles."**

"Thank you." Naru said sincerely, bowing deeply to the fox, "You know, you're not such a bad guy, Kyuubi."

**"Kurama,"** he answered, **"I'll give you the privilege of using my name."** Naru laughed lightly at his haughty tone.

"Really, you help me more than you know, Kurama." She gave the beast a small wave before returning to the real world.

\- - - - -_ Reality_ \- - - - -

"Hokage-sama, she's awake!" called a young woman's voice. Naru felt strange, she was definitely in a hospital bed with a couple of tubes stuck in her arms but her vision was obscured and all she could see was darkness. She reached out and felt bandages wrapped around her eyes.

"Gaki!" Tsunade shouted, "You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?"

"Strange." Naru answered, "What's happened recently?"

"Kakashi found you collapsed at The Valley of the End two days ago with Sasuke dead next to you." The Godaime said grimly, "He buried Sasuke where he died and brought you back to Konoha for healing. As soon as your friends found out they came charging in here like a stampede of wild bulls." Naru giggled softly, she could definitely imagine that, "Of course we can't have that behaviour in a hospital so they were chased out until they could compose themselves."

"Um, Baa-chan," Naru asked quietly slightly worried about her vision, "Why are my eyes wrapped up?"

"We found something strange in them and when exposed to light the muscles around your pupil moved incessantly, causing it to continuously dilate and contract. To prevent this we decided to cover your eyes and let them rest in darkness for a while before exposing them to light again."

"Oh, ok." Naru was confused but trusted in Tsunade's medical knowledge, "I guess I'll just have to make do for now."

"Do you know what could have caused this?" the older blonde asked, "Anything that may have happened during the fight?"

"Actually-" Naru was cut off as the door was slammed open and a group of people stumbled in.

"Naru!" they shouted loudly.

"Shut up!" the Hokage responded hitting each of the teens harshly on the head. "We'll talk about this later," She said to her patient, "For now you should tend to your friends while I get a drink."

"Hai, Baa-chan!" Naru made a mock salute and the older woman left grumbling about rude brats. After she was gone the room exploded with questions, confusing the poor patient who was trying to make sense of it all.

"Maa-maa, guys," her sensei drawled in his lazy tone, "One at a time you're confusing her."

"Thanks." Naru said gratefully, recovering from her dizziness.

"How are you, Naru?" Asked a shy heiress.

"I'm doing fine Hinata." The blonde answered, "Just give me a couple of hours and I'll be back on my feet!"

"Naru-baka!" Sakura hit her teammate sharply on the head, "You need to rest." The pink hair girl was relieved to have her friend back, even if their other teammate was now deceased.

"Of course." Naru replied with a cheeky grin.

"What happened to your eyes?" A certain Nara asked.

"I actually have no idea." She told to group.

"Really," Kiba sounded his disbelief, "But you would've known if you had injured them right?"

"Probably." She shrugged, "But there's no use worrying about them now. I'll just ask Baa-chan for the details later." Everyone accepted the answer and moved onto idle chatter.

Ino was sitting on her bed chatting with Sakura as she brushed Naru's hair. Shikamaru had somehow found a shogi board and was playing against Shino, who was apparently, a tough opponent. Kiba, who had snuck Akamaru into the hospital, was talking to Choji about where they should be celebrating her recovery. Naru herself was having an animated conversation with Sai and Hinata, while both Kakashi and Yamato stood by the side to advise everyone.

"I think I've worked out a new form for Rasengan-" she stop abruptly as she felt thundering footsteps hurrying towards them.

"Naru-chan!" Her very youthful friend charged through the door followed by Neji, Tenten and Gai.

"Sorry for the noise!" Tenten apologised being just as loud.

"Be quiet!" Neji scolded them both, "We are at a hospital not a farmhouse!"

"Aren't my team brimming with youthfulness and compassion!" Gai said to Kakashi.

"Hm?" the Cyclops replied even though everyone knew he had heard clearly, "Did you say something?" Gai held his chest dramatically,

"My hip rival, your words wound me."

"Ahaha..." Naru trailed off. She silently thanked Iruka for the sensor lessons she had years ago allowing her to sense Lee and prepare for the oncoming barrage of his youth.

Speaking of him, the scarred academy teacher also came through the door followed by a dango-offering Anko. Naru hadn't failed to notice how close the two were recently. It was nice to see the modest teacher with someone so... outgoing...

"Naru, are you ok?!" Iruka was flustered and worried trying to calm himself but failing.

"Brat, here's a gift." The snake mistress shoved the food onto her lap and slouched back into a chair. Next Asuma and Kurenai sauntered in with some get well flowers.

"Thank you." Naru said placing them by her bedside. It's nice to know how many people care for you, Kurama noted. Surprisingly, Naru also noticed three other chakra signals by the door as well as a tiny bit of red hair poking out behind it. "Gaara, you can come out from hiding behind there...I can sense your chakra and you hair's poking out."

The room quietened as the Godaime Kazekage popped out from behind the door, his cheeks coloured a healthy dose of red.

"I was not hiding Uzumaki." He denied pouting slightly. His two siblings were with him as well. Temari sneaking glances at the lazy strategist while Kankuro began a hearty conversation with Kiba. "Uzumaki," The other jinchuriki seemed slightly confused, "How did you see my hair if your eyes are bandaged?" The conversations suddenly quietened as everybody thought hard.

"That's right." Iruka stated, "You're able to sense people but you shouldn't have known his hair was poking out." Gaara blushed again, something extremely clear to Naru.

"I-I don't know," She replied startled, "I only just noticed but I can actually see all of you, though everything's grainy because of the bandage I guess?" Kakashi noticed her uneasiness and quickly sent for Shizune who arrived a moment later with the Hokage and Toad Sannin.

"I came as fast as I could and brought Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama!" She stated regaining her breath, "What's wrong? Is she having seizures again?"

"I was having seizures before?" Naru asked. Jiraiya nodded seriously checking over his student's current health.

"Actually you seemed fine when you woke so it slipped my mind," Tsunade admitted, "When you were first brought here you were having some serious fits and kept screaming about your body burning."

"Aah." The young blonde couldn't remember any of that but she had escaped to her mindscape for a while. It must have been subconscious.

"So what's the problem?" Tsunade continued taking a large drink from the sake bottle she was holding.

"Um, I can see?" Naru said unsurely.

"What do you mean?" The medic asked.

"Well, I seem to be able to see again," Naru scratched the back of her head, "And see through the bandages..."

"Are you sure?" Jiraiya questioned seriously, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"You're not holding any up you damn pervert." The patient replied slightly irritated.

"That's strange," Shizune mumbled.

"Indeed, neither of your parents held this ability so we can't assume you might have 'unlocked' it in battle or something." The slug Sannin said carelessly.

"Parents?" All of her friends repeated the words confused, including the jounins except for Kakashi who had figured it out long ago.

"Oh right!" Tsunade hit her palm with her fist, "I was going to announce it after Naru was released but seeing as you're some of her closest friends it wouldn't hurt to tell. Her mother is Uzumaki Kushina the Red-hot Habanero and former resident of Uzushiogakure and jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox." Naru laughed at the nickname and at the expectant faces of those in the room. "And her father was Konoha's Yellow Flash and fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze." There was silence as the facts were absorbed.

"Eeeeh?!" Everyone looked towards Naru for some sort of amazing reaction from her. She just sat there and stared back from behind her bandaged.

"I've known since I was 9."

"EEEEEHHHH?!" There was more shock as even Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade where included.

"Kurama told me."

**''Fool,''** the fox said, **''they don't know my name.''**

"Who's Kurama?" Kakashi asked.

"The Kyuubi..." Naru responded meekly. Tsunade held her forehead feeling a migraine coming on.

"Let's handle this one shock at a time. Now, putting aside the fact Naru seem quite friendly towards the nine-tailed havoc raising demon,"

**''Thanks for the compliment,''** Kurama said happily,

"And who her parents are, let's see why she is able to see through bandages." Tsunade walked over to her bedridden goddaughter and began unravelling the bandages. Naru shut her eyes and waited patiently for them to be removed. "Ok." Tsunade collected the last bit, "Please open your eyes Naru." The girl did as told and by the gasps she received it looked like there was another shock.

"What is it now?" She asked.

"Sharingan!" Hinata exclaimed pointing at her eyes.

"What are you on about?" Naru scratched the back of her head, "I don't have the Sharingan. In fact I'm pretty sure my eyes are blue." She found her headband sitting on the table beside her and used its reflective surface as a mirror. A pair of familiar red and black eyes stared back at her intensely.

"Sasuke-teme!" She growled out in understanding. It was his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The three pointed, red intersecting ellipses with Itachi's own black, three-pronged pinwheel in the centre finished with a black background.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked nervously, "What did he do?"

"He performed a forbidden technique." Naru said bitterly, "It was near the end of my duel with Orochimaru who had possessed his body. I was foolish and fell into one of his traps just as I was going in for the kill. Instead he was about to end me with his Kinjutsu – Shitai kyushu-ho,"

"Corpse absorption technique," Tsunade said softly, "It allows the user to absorb the corpse of his foe and all of its abilities, though if they're still alive it only partially works leaving the opponent in a comatose state,"

"Well just as he was about to hit me with it he suddenly pulled back his hand due to Sasuke's conscience returning. Sasuke then managed to hold the snake-teme back long enough to perform another forbidden technique. He called it Kinjutsu – Ketsueki Iten."

"Blood transfer jutsu?" Shikamaru echoed. Jiraiya looked thoughtful.

"Well if he and Orochimaru shared that body he would have had access to Orochimaru's knowledge and may have been able to create some sort of technique for transferring bloodlines." Jiraiya explained.

"Sasuke was struggling to hold back Orochi-teme," Naru said quietly, "It must have been a failsafe plan to stop him from having the Sharingan and most likely his last resort."

"But Sasuke defected to Orochimaru didn't he?" Kiba asked, "Why would he plan for such a thing?"

"Sasuke defected for the sole purpose of revenge," Kakashi explained, "Orochimaru was the only one at the time who offered him enough power for it so he defected from Konoha.

It does not necessarily mean that he liked his new master."

"He didn't," Naru answered, "After he accomplished his revenge he was prepared to come back to Konoha and atone for his sins, accept any punishment he would receive for his selfishness." Eyebrows shot up in disbelief and shock, "But the slimy teme noticed this and forcefully took over Sasuke's body." Her voice shook as tears of blood began to roll down her cheeks, "Sasuke-teme only had about 60% of his body under control, which was going down fast. So after he used the technique he asked me to kill him before that snake came back." All her emotion seemed to be flooding back again. "I killed him!" Even Sakura didn't seem as shook up as Naru did. "I can't do it..." Naru whispered, "I-I need some air... I need to train."

"No way!" Tsunade shouted but it was too late, Naru was gone leaving scattered leaves in her place. "Quick, everyone start searching for her! She is in no conditional to even be walking right now. That damn gaki!"

"Hai!" Everyone left the room in search of the missing blonde while Tsunade pulled out another bottle of sake.

"I really need a break." She returned to her office in hopes of using Sarutobi's crystal ball to spot her goddaughter. Meanwhile said girl had disappeared into the forest right behind the Hokage monument.

"Arrgh!" Naru clutched her head as she knelt on the floor, the hospital gown hanging off her fragile form. Her eyes had been activated the entire time and using up her already diminished chakra levels. Just stop the flow towards your eyes. Kurama said helpfully. Naru did just that and her vision returned to its normal state. Nothing seemed crystal clear anymore and she didn't find herself scrutinizing random objects to analyse them. She recovered from her small fit of hysteria and stood tall, shifting into her taijutsu stance before moving through a beginner's kata. Left, left, right, step in, kick, pivot, elbow. She repeated the sequence in her head, her moves slowly becoming more and more intense.

Knee, crouch, sweep, grab, throw, her movements flowed from her tired limbs, fist, elbow, pivot, side, punch, left, back, right, thrust, pun- She stopped as her fist was caught.

Her eyes trailed up from the gloved hand covering her much smaller one, to the flak jacket belonging to a jounin, to the ever present black mask, and up to his sole visible eye which was staring at her gently.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naru said brokenly, "Why did you stop me?"

"You can't do this to yourself Naru," He said sternly, "You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"I'm weak!" She cried out towards the sky, "If only I was stronger! I-I could've saved him." She was pulled into a tight embrace and her sobs were muffled against the older male's chest.

"Shh," He patted her head, "You did what was needed. You did what he asked of you and you did it with the pride of a ninja."

"But-" Naru tried to push him away but Kakashi proved much stronger.

"Do not waste the last chance Sasuke's given you," As the silver haired man spoke he felt his student tense in his arms, "You accomplished his last request and he would be proud of you. All you need to do is take a step forward. You're not alone." His words struck a chord in her heart and Naru cried out all her grief, with her own tears and not the blood of Sasuke's eyes. "It's alright now." Kakashi mumbled. Naru leaned into him feeling drowsiness come over her as her tears dried up into quiet sobs.

**''Kit,''** Kurama said softly as he sat in his cage, you were never alone. Naru nodded feeling safe and gave into sleep.

"Mmm..." Naru shifted in her sleep wrapping her arms around a strange source of warmth. It wasn't soft but hard, though not unpleasant. She tightened her grip and wriggled closer.

**''Uh kit,''** the fox tried to get her attention. What is it? Naru asked sleepily. **''You might want to open your eyes and see what that source of warmth actually is...''**Naru obediently opened her eyes and found herself face to face with a black-clad chest. Huh? Just light the night before her eyes travelled up and she found herself face to face with her masked sensei.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked mischievously. Naru looked at their position slightly mortified. All the shifting and wriggling she did somehow landed her on top, practically straddling the Hatake.

"Aah!" She quickly scrambled off him and onto the far side of the bed, noting she was still in her hospital gown. "What happened?" She said trembling lightly. Kakashi chuckled, his student was just so cute and innocent sometimes.

"Well-" He was cut off as the doors burst open and everyone who was in the hospital room yesterday burst in.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled furiously, "Why did you not enlighten us that you had found Naru yesterday? We were searching for her all night!" She seemed to finally notice the girl who was hiding under the covers on the same bed as said man. Everyone followed her eyes and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Hatake!" Yelled a frightening Iruka, "I'm going to castrate you." Gaara quickly hurried over to Naru's side ignoring the fact that his sand had formed deadly spears aimed at the odd eyed male. Hinata and Neji were out for vengeance with their Byakugan activated while Gai and Lee were sobbing about the unyouthfulness of the situation. Sakura was cracking her knuckles along with her master and Shizune was mumbling about trying out a new poison. Tenten had pulled out her scroll full of pointy objects and was making a target for his lower regions. Kiba, Sai, Choji, Shino and Ino stood shock still while Shikamaru was formulating some sort of plan. Kankuro was just plain confused but his sister had whipped out her fan. One look at Kurenai sent him shivering while Asuma looked at him with pity. Even Anko had it out for him and Kakashi was pretty damn sure it was just because she wanted to see some bloodshed. Jiraiya looked the most confused, having his inner pervert want to congratulate the soon to be deceased Hatake and his guardian side wanting to be part of the murder.

"I'm just going to say this now," Kakashi said clearing his throat, "I didn't do anything." His hands were held up in a sign of defence.

"It's true I guess." Naru explained, "I was a bit hysterical and Kakashi-sensei helped me calm down. He really didn't do anything." Everyone calm down and her friends began gushing over her. Kakashi stood to the side, observing the blonde young woman with a warm look in his eyes. You'd have to be blind to miss the sheer adoration and love in them, but Naru was never the most observant person.

**A/N And that's the end of that chapter.**

**I hope none of you are too put off by the sudden gaining of the Sharingan, but it will be necessary for her future interactions with the Uchiha.**

**Here's some jutsu info;**

**Name: Shitai Kyushu-ho (Corpse Absorption Technique)**

**Classification: Kinjutsu**

**Rank: S-rank**

**Class: Supplementary/Offensive**

**Range: User must make contact with target**

**Summary: A forbidden jutsu created by Orochimaru. It's meant for use on a corpse to absorb the victim's body and thus their techniques and skills. An affinity for every element can be gained this way but it cannot pick up bloodlines. When used on a living person they are only partially absorbed, draining most of their chakra and a chance at leaving them in a comatose. Obviously, takes more effort to perform the attack on a living person.**

**Name: Ketsueki Iten (Blood Transfer)**

**Classification: Kinjutsu**

**Rank: S-rank**

**Class: Supplementary**

**Range: User must make contact with target**

**Summary: Made by Sasuke Uchiha using Orochimaru's extensive knowledge. It transfers the bloodline of the user to its designated target through blood. In the example of Sharingan, Sasuke let his blood flow over Naru's eyes, blinding her for a short amount of time as her body adjusted. After using the jutsu the user will no longer be able to use his bloodline, and there will be no traces of it in their body, as if they never had it.**

**And that's it. I will be doing a short description of new jutsu after each chapter.**


	4. Epilogue to the beginning

**Another 2 years after – Ruins of Konoha... Naru aged 18**

"How dare you!?" Naru cried at the masked figure in front of her. She looked around the ware torn battlefield. The fourth shinobi war had finally happened. Kabuto, Orochimaru's slimy apprentice had joined forces with Akatsuki and together they had attacked all of the hidden villages for their jinchuriki. Brave shinobi had been resurrected with Edo Tensei and loved ones were pitted against each other. Sasuke and Itachi, who had somehow planned ahead for this, managed to stop Kabuto's jutsu but it was too late as the damage was already done. The Konoha 11, Sand siblings, all of the Kages, shinobi and civilian alike everyone had died.

**''What a fool,''** Kurama uttered, **''what is the point of world domination when you've destroyed half of it?''**

Naru and looked to the man at her feet who had died taking a killing blow meant for her. His face was pulled into a loving smile despite the fact he had two large holes drilled into his torso. His once silver gravity defying hair was dull and matted with blood, falling limply around his face. "Kakashi." Naru brought a hand to touch the ring which hung around her neck, brushing past Tsunade's necklace in the process. A plain band of metal made from melted parts of her father's Hiraishin kunai and Sakumo Hatake's white light chakra sabre.

"What a shame," Madara said mockingly, "Was he you lover?"

"You piece of trash!" Naru growled, "How dare you talk about him like that." She was going to tear the zombie apart and feed the remains to feral animals.

**''I share your feelings.''** Kurama rumbled in his cage.

"Trash?" echoed the disillusioned man, "I'm a god! And as soon as I have the Kyuubi my Eye of the Moon plan will finally come to pass." Naru bent down and apologised to her former sensei and lover, pressing a final kiss onto his forehead before reaching for the chain she knew held his own ring of the matching pair. She slipped it off his head and onto her own before shifting into a fighting stance.

"You aren't a god." Naru said seriously, "You are a dead man." Madara merely laughed her off as his chakra began to swirl around him, forming the ever-formidable deity.

"Do you remember Susanoo?" He questioned, "He will be your end." She bristled at his haughty tone with her own chakra seeping from her skin.

"Let's go, Kurama!" A blast of angry, red chakra erupted from her, sending dust flying into the air and pushing back Madara a couple of inches. When the entire mess cleared it was a face-off between a living legend and the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

**"I have waited for this day."** Kurama told her as the two of them sat together in her mind, remotely detached yet still focused on the fight.

"While I am here he cannot control you," Naru said pleased, "Like this I wonder if he can defeat you." The fox thrashed its tails, slamming the down where Madara had been only moments before.

"It's nice to see you again Kyuubi!" Madara greeted as Susanoo fired off black fireballs.

**"Scum!"** They both replied with an angry snarl. A ball of energy formed in the fox's mouth before it was ingested and brought back up as a large beam, completely obliterating the opposing fireballs. Madara purely blocked the oncoming attack with a sweep of Susanoo's sword.

"It's no use, I know every one of your abilities." The masked antagonist said in a snide tone. "You'd be better off just giving up."

**"I've told you this before teme!"** Naru snapped, **"I'll never give up and I'll never run. I will defeat you and I never go back on my word. That is my nindo!"** Madara sighed as if she was the most pitiful thing he had ever seen.

"And that's why fools like you die so early." He didn't even bother to dodge the next incoming swipe, letting go through him as if he was suddenly mist and reappearing beside the claw.

"Izanagi." Naru muttered with dislike. She thought of it as the cheat of the shinobi world. As long as the user had chakra, which Madara certainly had an abundance of, they were made virtually immortal as reality and illusion twisted to their will.

**"In that case, you know what to do."** Kurama said with a smirk, **"But first, you need to get out of this form." **The giant fox destabilized fading into a mist of chakra before condensing and lightening into a gold coloured shroud around the girl.

"Oho?" This new form certainly piqued his interest until he caught her eyes. The blue that could have been likened to the ocean was gone and in place were the furious red of the Sharingan. "Why do you have those eyes?" His tone was calm yet undoubtedly menacing. The girl was no Uchiha and he didn't take kindly to thieves. Naru stayed silent, refusing to him the satisfaction of knowing. "No matter. In the end I will merely have to rip them out of your skull."

"Just try it!" She dared flashing through a series of hand seals, "Hyoton – Gekido Hiryu!" The air shimmered as water molecules condensed before a frigid ice dragon bust out, rushing towards him.

"That's something I haven't seen before." Madara commented, following through with the same seals. A copy of the dragon shot out, clashing heads with Naru's. They tore each other apart before their remains misted into the air.

"Che," She spat at the ground, "I should've guessed an ordinary jutsu wouldn't have worked. "Well then, a battle of the cursed eyes it is." Naru summoned up the black flames which consumed his body. But he simply stepped through them without a care.

**''I feel like we'll be here all day if he continues to change fate.''** Kurama muttered, voicing his displeasure.

"Izanagi. The Uchiha clan's ultimate technique." Madara spread his arms wide as Susanoo's sword came swinging down on her, "Death cannot catch me and I have power beyond belief in my control. I decide my own fate. What else could I be other than god?"

**''A fool?''**

"Trash?" His response was to send more fireballs towards her, obviously not pleased. Naru dodged them with ease, the added speed of the shroud making it a fair bit easier. Now how was this supposed to work? She thought whilst keeping her distance and rolling out of harm's way. Ah, I had Weasel explain it once but it's no good, I forgot...

**''You are lucky that I am here then.''** The fox commented.** ''I will pass on my memory but you will have the trouble of recreating it.''** It was as if she had an epiphany as the answer popped into her head.

"Thanks." She muttered. Naru looked at the looming figure behind Madara, it would probably be best to get rid of it first. First she created two well-made clones, sending them out to distract him while she charged up. She concentrated her chakra into the palm of her right hand, forming a simple Rasengan before adding more and more elements to it. "This is Arashi no Rasengan," The blonde explained, "My most destructive version of the Rasengan. I haven't tried it out before so be glad you'll be the first.

"I'm honoured." He answered sarcastically. She didn't hold back at all, charging him with the miniature storm in the palm of her hand. She slowed a few steps before him and threw the jutsu before jumping back as far as possible. The ball seemed to float in front of him, unleashing blades of wind in all directions as it slowly expanded. Strangely enough it enveloped the battlers and Madara didn't feel any of the expected pain. "What is this?"

"Arashi no Rasengan." Naru panted, "Right now were in the eye of the storm. The range is a lot bigger than I expected."

**''Our defence may not be enough.'' **Kurama intoned. It doesn't matter, Naru answered.

"It's beginning." Small sparks appeared in the air before the force of the attack came crushing down on the two of them.

"Impressive." Madara commented. His guardian deity took the brunt of the force for him but he wasn't exempt and found himself forced to his knees.

"How does it feel to kneel before me?" Naru asked, struggling to stand herself. "And this is just the start." He soon realised she wasn't kidding as he felt the condensed power of the storm tear into him. The earth shook and as the attack cleared up there were two bodies left in a crater the size of Konoha.

**''How do you feel kit?''** Kurama asked as she struggled to stand.

"Why even bother asking?" She responded, "But at least it got rid of his Susanoo."

"I commend your effort." Madara began, standing up to face her, "But it looks like it took a lot of effort to perform."

"Hah! You kidding?" Naru put up a false pretence, "I could do this all day long!"

"I don't understand why you keep fighting," His mask was cracked but still managed to stay on his face, "What do you even have left to fight for?" Naru gritted her teeth, jumping in to engage in close combat. The active Sharingan in both their eyes made the battle impossible to follow as they continuously reacted to each other's predicted moves.

"Gah!" His arm flashed forward and caught her neck, dangling the smaller woman in front of him.

"This has gone on long enough. I'll be taking the fox back now." He placed his hand flat on her abdomen before curling his fingers, digging them into her flesh.

"Aarhg!" Naru felt the beginning of the soul removal and struggled frantically. She leaned in and gave him a vicious bite to his collarbone, tearing off a large chunk of flesh. Her efforts were rewarded as Madara withdrew his hand and tossed her aside, examining his wound.

"That hurt you little whore!" Naru laughed and spat out the blood from her mouth. She slowly staggered back up into standing position.

"It's not like you tasted great." She flicked through more seals.

"Another original jutsu, aren't you creative?" He replied mimicking her.

"Suiton – Nejibana!" A thick rope of water snaked out towards him, splitting and dividing. His own jutsu stayed in a single whip like form, "What's the point of copying a jutsu you don't know how to use?" Each individual tendril either pierced the ground in front of him or latched onto a limb. He tried to pull a particular one off his arm but as he touched it a shard like flower grew, piercing both his hand and arm. It wasn't long before he was bound by the constricting jutsu though as soon as he should have been impaled he vanished and appeared behind Naru, sending her flying with a well-aimed kick.

"It was a nice trick, but something like that won't affect me." He explained. Naru flipped in the air, landing neatly on her feet.

"It was worth a try." She sighed and brought her hand out in front of her, "Enton – Kagutsuchi."

"Hm?" He watched as the black flames of Amaterasu appeared before, condensing and combining to for a blade. He figured the only thing that made it possible for her to hold was the gold coloured chakra shroud. The blonde let out a worthy war cry, dashing towards him, sword in hand. He didn't dare try to mimic her, knowing exactly how devastating the everlasting flames could be.

"Hyah!" She swung low and he flipped back, making sure nothing on his person touched the blade.

"That's a dangerous weapon you have. I have never though you could use Amaterasu in such a way." He mentally stored the information away for future use. She dashed in again and he was allowed to witness the true effect of the blade. A small nick on his waist burned, infecting the nearby area and eating away at his flesh. "A truly frightening blade." In another lifetime he would have loved to have the girl as his right hand, but now she was just the last barrier between him and his goals. As he was about to counter she jumped back, maintaining a safe distance. She continued to swing wildly at him, diving in and them retreating when he looked about to retaliate. More than anything it was frustrating.

She aimed for his left knee and once again, to evade, he flipped back. He would have fired back with his own jutsu, his hands already raised in the beginnings of a seal, but the look on her face stopped him. The cold, calculating eyes of his own clan that stared straight at him combined with a chilling and victorious smirk.

"What?" He asked, feeling the unease. He looked down at his waist and felt the dread at the realisation. "Izanami." He uttered.

"I win." She stated, stepping back from the man trapped in her genjutsu. Dispelling the sword and shroud, Naru took a look around, wishing that the scenery were a genjutsu too.

**''Even if he knows about Izanami, it is another matter to escape it.''** Kurama said with a foxy smirk so wide it threatened to split his face.** ''For someone who believes that everything they do is right and within reason, well he'll be trapped there for eternity.''**

"Yeah." Naru stepped back, it was unnerving to see the man just standing there, staring blankly at the wasteland of a battlefield.

**''I would love to spend my days sitting here as he slowly rots, but considering how the fool managed to stay alive for so long I am not so sure anymore.''** There was a slightly movement behind him which appeared to be wagging tails.** ''Either way I am content. Thank you kit, for fulfilling your promise.''**

"No, not yet," Naru smiled lightly and used the blood from her hands to draw a seal on the ground. It mimicked the same seal on her stomach with small additions around the border. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Shuuseihan." The seals trembled and swirled before producing a large puff of smoke. Once cleared sitting in front of Naru was a small one-tailed version of the Kyuubi.

**"Kit,"**He said in a surprisingly high voice, **"What is this?"**

"I was actually looking up ways to release you from the seal, albeit with some limitations, and it was supposed to be a gift for helping me out all the time." Naru said with an empty tone, "You're still connected to me and I have control over you powers but, you have a body. It's an end of war gift."

**"Can I have the honours then?!"** Kurama asked excitedly like a small child.

"Go ahead. Restriction level 2 release." Naru formed a one-handed tiger seal as a small portion of the Kyuubi's powers were restored. He was now roughly the size of a small house and had three tails. "Actually, wait a second." She walked up to the frozen figure and used the handle of a kunai to smash through the mask. What greeted her was an ominous surprise. "Who...who is he?" She had read enough history books and visited the Valley of the End enough times to recognize Uchiha Madara's face, but this man, was not him.

**"...I do not recognize him."** The fox replied. **"I can guarantee you this is the same man that destroyed your village but this is not the man that controlled me."**

"Then, is Madara still alive?" Naru asked with a steely tone. If she had to she would go to the ends of the earth to hunt him down.

**"Those eyes are Madara's eyes. I assure you."** Kurama confirmed, **"It is possible he conspired with this man but without his eyes he is as good as dead. This kind of revenge, it will have to do." **He was disappointed but there was little he could do about it now. Without further questioning the fox tore into the stranger's throat, slowly devouring the trapped man. While he was feasting Naru made her way back to Kakashi, who still laid dead on the bloodstained earth.

"Kashi." She knelt beside him and propped his head on her lap, finally shutting his eyes with a sweep of her hand. "Did you see? I avenged you and everyone else so now you can all sleep peacefully." She didn't move from her spot until the fox came padding up to her, his already red muzzle died with his enemy's blood. Only now that she was sure the masked male was dead, did she dare drop her dojutsu.

**"It feels strange to have eaten after so long." **He nudged her arm with his snout, marveling at the fact he could do so, **"And even stranger that I can touch you."**

"So that time when I was five-"

**"Illusion."** He answered,** "Your father wouldn't have made it that easy for me to kill you."** She shook her head in disbelief, so all those years she had been afraid when he actually couldn't harm her. **"Now kit, how about I give you a gift as well?**"

"Well, I could kill for some ramen right now." Naru joked.

**''I have something much better in mind."** He dipped his tail into a pool of Kakashi's blood and began drawing a series of character's and seals on the ground. Naru even though she was proficient in fuinjutsu had no idea what the fox was writing.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked.

**"It is a surprise. I will need some time and a lot of blood," **He looked at the battlefield, **"We have plenty of blood but this will take roughly forty-eight hours."** Naru nodded.

"I'll wait then and use this time to give everyone a proper burial." She summoned hundreds of shadow clones and sent them off to bury the dead while she personally attended tothe bodies of her friends.

The sun had set and risen twice by the time Kurama had finished and all of the casualties had been buried leaving a blood-soaked, barren wasteland.

**"Kit,"** Kurama waved Naru over while she inspected the seal. It was about fifty metres in diameter and each part of it was filled with swirls of blood. **"This is my gift to you."** It was beautiful in a way only a seal master could appreciate.

"What does it do?" Naru asked.

**"It sends us back to the past."** Kurama explained.

"Back?" Naru looked exhausted.

**"We will go back and become new people,"** He paused, "**Well, you will become a new person, and I will still be a fox."**

"What good does going back do?" Naru asked frustrated, "We'll just have to go through this pain all over again."

**"But you have the power to change it."** Kurama continued. Naru looked up at his with dwindling hope in her eyes, **"When we go back you won't be Naruto UzumakiNamikaze anymore. You will be a stranger in that timeline. You will need a new identity."**

"I'm tired." She admitted, slumping down to her knees, "Going back would waste their sacrifice, and I don't know if I'll be able to handle losing them again."

**"What a strange thing humans are."** The fox walked over and sat itself in front of her, **"If you go back no sacrifices would have been made. If you cannot lose them then protect them. Though this of course, is of your own choosing. I will stay by your side but here, in this world, you will be lonely. If you are content to leave this behind and search for a peaceful life, that is fine, no one would dare blame you for it, but isn't that the same as giving up?"** The girl's eyes seemed to sharpen as she listened, **"Only once you know you have tried everything can you be content. It is in your nature."**

"...Can I have some time?" She asked quietly. The fox nodded and laid his head on his paws. She didn't move from her spot, spending several hours just sitting in thought. "How far can we go?" Naru finally asked, feeling strange after such a long silence, "And will there be any side effects?"

**"For the amount you travel back, your age will be reduced by half that. We have enough chakra for a littl**e **less than two decades, meaning you will likely find yourself in you eight year old body."** He explained, **" Your lifespan will also be reduced. I can't say how much for certain due to your exceptional healing abilities and vitality in general, maybe it won't affect you at all, or maybe it will take the greatest toll."**

"I see." She went back to thinking. A shorter life didn't worry her too much, she was a shinobi after all, in fact it was amazing the Sandaime managed to hold on for as long as he did. "Alright," Naru stood tall for the first time in a while, coming to a final answer, "Let's go then. There's nothing left for me here."

**"Good choice."** A grin made its way onto his face, **"It would have been rather boring here."**

"But at least everyone's at peace." Naru scoured the landscape, "With this the age of the ninjas is finished. I wonder how the survivors will carry on but that life is not for me."

**"Is there anything you wish to bring? It has to be able to fit in my mouth though."**

"What an odd requirement." She handed him her three necklaces which he dutifully placed in his jaws.

**"I suggest you start thinking of a name."** The fox advised as they made their way to the very centre of the seal. **"Remember that while doing this you are giving up your identity, your right to exist as your current self."**

"I know. I guess my current name would cause quite a stir." She admitted with a small laugh.

**"Indeed."** Kurama agreed.

"It has to be awesome then. And I'll have an epic title to go with it!" She looked more excited than she should be.

**"...Why not Yoko?"** He caught the way she halted her steps, and subconsciously brought a hand to her abdomen. h a sad look. "How about we think about it once we get there?" She spared the battlefield one last look before leaving it all behind.

**A/N Yeah! And now we can get rolling onto the actual story.**

**I realize when I'm typing i put in little facts and sentences which make complete and total sense to me but then again I know exactly whats happening so it might be harder for others to pick up...**

**Her's a couple more jutsu;**

**Name: Hyoton – Gekido Hiryu (Raging Ice-Dragon)**

**Classification: Ninjutsu**

**Rank: A/S-rank (Depending on how much chakra used)**

**Class: Offensive**

**Range: Mid to Long**

**Summary: An original technique by Naru. A large frozen dragon is created from the water vapours in the air (or from available water source) and homes in on the target. Upon contact, ice begins to form from wherever the dragon has touched or bitten spreading along the target. Varying levels of chakra are needed depending on if water is readily available, the targets rough distance, the intensity of the freezing bite desired. Though, no matter what the attack requires an enormous amount of chakra.**

**Name: Arashi no Rasengan (Storm Spiralling Sphere)**

**Classification: Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu**

**Rank: S-rank**

**Class: Offensive**

**Range: Close range but effects a large area**

**Summary: Created by Naru and is currently her most powerful attack. It incorporates the elements Water, Wind and Lightning into a Rasengan making a miniature storm. If hit by it, the target will undoubtedly be destroyed (shredded, ripped into pieces, blasted into oblivion). Naru creates a clone to help her add elements to a Rasengan she creates. The attack is then thrust at her enemy. It is known to create a crater the size of Konoha when aimed at the ground and takes up monstrous amounts of chakra.**

**Name: Nejibana (Twisted flower)**

**Classification: Ninjutsu**

**Rank: A-rank**

**Class: Offensive**

**Range: Mid to Long**

**Summary: Water forms in the air and vines snake along to entrap the enemy. It constricts and winds around the enemy, blooming flowers of ice at any point to pierce them.**

**Another of Naru's creations, it was named after the deceased Neji.**

**Name: Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Shuuseihan (Summoning Jutsu – Revised)**

**Classification: Ninjutsu, Space-Time Ninjutsu**

**Rank: S-rank**

**Class: Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary**

**Range: -**

**Summary: Created and used by Naru to summon the Kyuubi from inside the seal. Its effect is permanent bringing the Bijuu into the outside world. The jinchuriki still has control over the beast and limits the amount of power available to it.**

**As always thanks for reading. I will try to update regularly but it's probably not going to be a 100% on-time-all-the-time thing.**


	5. Revert

"Minato-sensei, it smells... wrong over here," A silver haired boy stated.

"Look," A young brunette called in response, "This might be where it's coming from," The blond jounin and her teammate walked over to the bushes where she was staring at a thick trail of blood.

"Well, I guess we should follow it." Minato stated with a sigh. This was meant to be a simple scouting mission around Konoha, but the amount of blood here meant a death, possibly of one of their comrades. Hey signaled his students and they followed the trail while staying behind him and hopefully out of harm's way. They all heard it before they saw anything, a low growl through the forest that asked them to turn back. Of course being ninja, a wild animal wasn't too much to worry about so they pressed on. Minato raised his hand to push away the last few branches revealing a small clearing that smelt like death.

"What happened here?" The girl asked, examining the two corpses which lay on the forest floor. Both were male ninja, probably about the same age as their sensei, and seemed to have been mauled to death by a wild animal. Said animal stood fiercely, a couple steps away, growling at the intruders.

"That fox, it can't have taken down two trained ninja." The boy commented in disbelief. The fox snapped at him indignantly.

"It looks like it did." Minato said slowly reaching for a kunai in case the situation turned bad. At the slightest movement the fox turned its eyes to him and the blond was surprised with the intelligence he could see. Deeming the three newcomers safe the fox stood down and returned to what it was doing before, scavenging anything useful from the corpse. It searched around and pulled of a headband from the nearest body, bringing it to the team.

"Iwa." The girl red as it was dropped by their feet.

"The fox did us a favour then," Her teammate responded, "Though I don't understand why it's being so docile now." The fox growled at him but moved on, picking off the ninja's tool pouch. It sent them a look and motioned ahead.

"This is unreal," The brunette stated, "Are we supposed to follow?"

"Your guess is as good as mine Rin." Their sensei replied. The fox looked impatient and kept pointing forward with its paw. "I guess we might as well." The animal nodded its approval.

"I wonder where it's leading us." Rin pondered as they kept a normal pace, making sure to stay a couple steps away in case the fox went feral.

"Up ahead there's a shallow stream." The boy remembered. He was correct, the fox had led them to running water before tracking across it and behind a large tree.

"I guess we better see what it wanted to show us." Minato wondered what he should put in his mission report later on. Maybe something about the apparent increase of the intelligence of wildlife in the forest?

"Sensei!" Rin called, having passed him while he was thinking, "Come quick!"

"What is it?" He dashed and arrived just as she finished talking. "A girl?" There lying a top a bed of leaved was a young girl, covered in blood and wounds from head to toe with her clothes torn to scraps. "Rin can you check her?" The fox stayed back, silently watching.

"...She's alive." The brunette responded, feeling a small pulse.

"What should we do, Minato-sensei?" The boy asked.

"We'll take her back with us. She needs to be treated." He bent down and gently lifter her up in his arms. He wondered if this was what the fox wanted all along, for someone to save this girl.

Naru's eye fluttered open and she found herself staring at a stark white ceiling. She turned her head and surveyed her surroundings. To her left was a door and more white walls while to her right was a window. "A hospital?" as she spoke Naru noticed her voice sounded all wrong. It was too high compared to her usual soft tenor. She slid her legs to the side of the bed and slowly stood up, instantly taking note of the height difference, and walked towards the mirror by the wall. There she realised hearing someone tell you that you're going to de-age and finding yourself in your younger body are two vastly different things. She brought a hand to touch her whiskered cheeks and her reflection did the same.

"This is me?" She lifted up the flimsy hospital gown she wore and examined her body anxiously. The thing that caught her attention first was the bold, black seal on her stomach, the Hakke no Fuin against her pale skin which should have been tanned, standing out in all its glory. Naru frowned slightly, it was probably a side effect of her remade summoning jutsu. Speaking of that, where was Kurama now? Her eyes trailed up to find a peculiar scar on her chest, precisely above her heart. It was quite large, about the size of a clenched fist, appearing as if someone had torn a hole through her chest. The matching scar she knew would be on her back confirmed the fact. Both blemishes were completely smooth and you wouldn't be able to tell it was there from touch. It was the only scar the Kyuubi wasn't able to completely heal, probably because she had died from it, if only for a minute or two. Letting the dress fall back down She turned her attention to her hair which was long enough to trail on the floor. Naru reminded herself to cut it at a later date. A gentle breeze blew into the room and she couldn't resist the temptation to see out the window. The sight nearly brought her to tears, Konoha, in all its vibrant beauty.

"Hello?" She heard a female voice shout from outside, "What's wrong?!" A nurse rushed in and was surprised to see Naru up and about. "Oh my! How can you be standing?" Naru cocked her head confused.

"Excuse me," She said politely, "What happened to me?"

"Well, I don't know the details exactly but I heard a couple of our shinobi found you barely alive at the outskirts of our village when they were coming back from their mission yesterday." The nurse began her physical examination gasping as she noticed most of her wounds were already healed. "This is impossible!" She also examined the seal curiously but being an average medic, couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"I'm a fast healer." Naru shrugged but the nurse looked at her in disbelief, "It's something that's been passed down in my family." She added hoping the nurse would pass it off as a bloodline. She did and moved onto another topic.

"What is your name little one?" the nurse asked gently.

"I am..." She thought hard, "My name is Miyu."

"That's a beautiful name honey," the nurse patted the newly named Miyu on the head, "Do you have a last name?"

"Un!" The blonde gave her a dazzling look and just mashed her names together, "Uzunami!"

"Well I haven't met anyone with that last name before." The nurse said after a moment of thought, "Do you know where your parents are?" Miyu contemplated what to say but just went with the safest option.

"They're probably...dead." There was a moment of awkward silence as the nurse gave her a pitying look while the blond acted as sad as she could, which truthfully wasn't very hard. It was right about now that Konoha was in the middle of the third shinobi war, orphans weren't that uncommon anymore.

"Can you tell me who saved me?" Miyu asked politely, "I'd like to thank them."

"Of course." The nurse didn't see any problem with it seeing that her patient was pretty much fully healed. Though, she would have to speak to the Hokage about that. "You're in luck. They're here at the moment while one of their member's gets a check-up for his eye." Miyu nodded and allowed the nurse to lead her down the hallway. She had a strange feeling in her stomach about meeting her saviours but even if she was in the past in her younger body, she should show her gratitude. "They're in here." The nurse knocked the door and guided the small girl inside before leaving to continue her job. Whatever Miyu was about to say left her mind as she ended up face to face with her hero, the future fourth Hokage, her father.

"Why hello there!" Minato said in a surprised yet cheery voice, "It's nice to see you doing well."

"Um..." She felt extremely small at the moment, "Thank you for saving me, sir."

"Hahaha," His laughter surprised her, "There's no need to be formal. I'm Namikaze Minato. You can just call me Minato if you want."

"Then Minato-san." The time-traveler said quietly, bowing slightly, "My name is Miyu. Uzunami Miyu." She felt bad about lying but resolved to take up the identity to make the statement true.

"What a polite kid." Another voice commented. She looked up to see another girl scrutinizing her carefully. "And not a scar in sight."

"So she's awake." Miyu's eyes widened in shock as she met the new speaker's gaze. His face was younger and he had some bandages covering his left eye but still had the everpresent mask.

"Let me introduce you," Minato began, "These are my two students Nohara Rin and Hatake Kakashi, guys this is Uzunami Miyu." With his words she managed to snap out of her daze to give a small smile, but Minato couldn't help but think it looked slightly off. The jounin could only see why when he caught her gaze. Her eyes were haunted, underneath the façade of happiness, he could see every emotion that shouldn't belong. "What happened Miyu?" He asked gently, "For you to end up in that state..."

"I-" She was at a lost. What should she say? What could she say? "I don't know." She looked to the ground avoiding eye contact. It was all too obvious she had something to hide.

"Then can I ask how you recovered so quickly?" Rin questioned. As a medic she was extremely interested in the small girl's body. They had come across her completely dyed red.

Yet, here she was only a few days after without a single scar.

"I heal faster than normal people..." Miyu answered.

"How much faster?" Kakashi asked, genuinely interested. She brought her arm to her mouth a bit down hard, before showing the now wounded limb to the team. Within minutes it was completely healed.

"That's incredible!" Rin exclaimed, inspecting the arm closer. It was purely fascinating to see the cells knit back together and there wasn't even any trace of damaged.

"A bloodline?" Kakashi wondered.

"I think so," Minato agreed, "Or she could just have an incredible healing rate."

"What a convenient ability," The boy noted, "Especially for a ninja." Suddenly the group was interrupted by the dramatic entry of a fox. The bundle of red fur came flying through the window stumbling to a stop at Minato's feet.

"Yip!" It looked up innocently.

"Huh, is that the same one from before?" Rin asked in surprise.

"Kurama." Miyu breathed out in relief. She knelt and gave the fox a tight hug.

**''How do you feel?''** His familiar voice echoed in her head. A bit sluggish but otherwise I'm okay.

"Miyu-chan, is this fox a friend of yours?" Minato asked curiously.

"He is my irreplaceable partner." She replied and Kurama couldn't help but feel mildly touched.

**''Here, don't forget these.'' **He rummaged around in the fur by his neck and pulled out the three necklaces. I washed them in a river.

"Thank you." She retrieved the items and looped them around her neck before spotting something strange about the green crystal. Did you modify it? She asked looking at now pointed piece. It kind of resembled a kunai in her opinion.

**''Of course. We cannot have two of such a valuable thing in this world so I altered it.''** He answered.

"What's that?" Minato asked looking over her shoulder. Miyu started slightly and shied away

"They're my important treasures." She stated.

"Hmm." Minato gave her a strange look. He couldn't help the fact that they seemed vaguely familiar.

"So it's named Kurama?" Kakashi looked at the fox warily. He hadn't sensed its presence at all until it came crashing through the window.

"Yes." Miyu answered, standing back up.

"Since she's feeling better do you think we should take her to see Hokage-sama, Sensei?" Rin asked.

"Yeah I guess so." The blond sent the younger girl a thoughtful look, "But we really should get her something else to wear first."

Miyu took her time while walking. Taking the sounds, smells and sights from Konoha she had so sorely missed. She was disappointed when they reached the Hokage tower but at the same time anticipated meeting the Sandaime again. The group merely bypassed the receptionist, who seemed to shoot the animal concerned looks, and made their way up the stairs.

"Alright, we're here." Minato announced standing in front of a red door, which looked much newer than she had remembered. "Remember to treat the Hokage respectfully." He reminded each kid before finally opening the door and stepping into the room.

"Ah, Minato it's nice to see you." An aged but cheerful voice greeted. "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Good afternoon Hokage-sama," The blond smiled. He didn't really know what else to say so he got straight to the point, "Do you remember the young girl my team found on the outskirts of Konoha?"

"Yes," Sarutobi shot Miyu a curious glance, "Is that the child? After what I was told I wasn't expecting her to be awake for quite some time."

"As far as I know it's probably a bloodline that allows for accelerated healing." Minato shrugged.

"And the fox?" Kurama had placed himself in front of Miyu, standing leisurely but also on guard.

"It's the same one mentioned in the report." Sarutobi let out a noise of recognition. So this was the animal who had apparently taken down two trained ninja.

"So, what exactly seems to be the problem, Minato?" the Sandaime asked using the interruption to take a break from his paper work.

"Honestly, I was wondering what we should do with her." Sarutobi turned his full attention to the girl.

"Why don't we figure it out then?" He smiled kindly and Miyu smiled back in turn, "If you don't mind Miyu-chan, I'd like to ask you some questions.

"Alright." She gave in reluctantly.

**''Do not worry too much and plead ignorance. You will not want to be treated as a spy.''** Kurama advised.

"First off," The Hokage began, "Can you tell me how you came to be dying in the forest?"

"...I don't remember." As unconvincing as she had sounded in the hospital, the current Team 7 couldn't help but want to believe her when she said it this time around.

"Really? Nothing at all?" He pressed. Miyu shook her head in the negative.

"Then what do you remember. We know your name but is there anything else?" Sarutobi made a couple of signals to a hidden Anbu. Amnesiacs were hard to deal with depending on whether or not they were liars. He would get a specialist in.

"No, not really." Miyu refused to look him in the eyes so instead stared just a bit below.

"Not your mother or father?"

"I don't recall having met anyone before waking up in the hospital." There was a short silence as Hiruzen thought on his next question.

"Then what about the fox? He is yours isn't he?"

"...Yes, he a valuable friend." Miyu began slowly, "I know at least that much."

"What can you tell me about him?" Sarutobi continued, genuinely interested.

"Kurama and I have been together for a long time...probably." She said in an unsure tone. There was another silence but this time she was the one to break it.

**''Be careful with your words.''** The fox warned and she gave a small nod in reply.

"Actually, there is something I'd like to request." Miyu began, "Please, would you allow me to become a shinobi of Konohagakure?" Her plea sent warning signals ringing in all of their heads.

"Why?" Kakashi asked abruptly. No matter how well she acted, she was suspicious. She was an unknown stranger.

"I don't know what else I could do." There was enough truth in this sentence to minimalize her guilt for lying.

"What do you mean?" Minato asked softly.

"I'm sorry for not telling you straight away but I was unaware of how you would react." Miyu bowed slightly as her mind played out the scene she would try to re-enact, "Actually aside from a name, my name, and Kurama, there are a handful of things I know I can do."

"Like what?" Sarutobi questioned.

"I know how to hold a kunai, to throw shurikens," She told him, "I can perform the Bunshin jutsu along with, Kawarimi, Henge, and Shunshin. I can tell you with a certainty, that I am a ninja."

"Hm." The Hokage hummed in thought and leaned back in his chair. A solid knock on the door interrupted the conversation but Sarutobi had expected it.

"You called Hokage-sama?" A male's voice came from outside.

"Ahh, Inoichi perfect timing. Please come in." Minato felt his eyes widen as the stranger was revealed to be the head of T.I. It could only mean one thing and it didn't sit too well with him.

"Am I interrupting something?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked, steeping in the room and glancing at those present.

"No, this is exactly the reason why I called you." Sarutobi stated. "I'm sure you've heard of Team 7's discovery."

"So this is the girl?" He caught on quick, but it honestly wasn't that difficult.

"Yes. Anyway, she has expressed a desire to enter our ranks but there is a slight problem." The Hokage continued. "Miyu is amnesiac."

"Really?" Inoichi looked doubtful.

"Yes." Minato confirmed, "But at the same time she remembers certain things... like her ninja abilities."

"So, why am I here?" He seriously hoped Hiruzen wouldn't suggest what he was thinking of.

"If you don't mind, please check her mind." He was. The head of T.I. sighed "Are you sure. The mind is a delicate thing," He glanced at the girl who had remained silent since he had entered. "I'm more accustomed to breaking them and it isn't exactly easy on the target either." Minato physically winced and Rin wasn't looking to glad either. It was only Kakashi and the Hokage who remained impassive.

"I'll be fine." Miyu spoke up, "So you can go ahead." She garnered incredulous looks. "After all, I don't think you would have been called if Jiji didn't think you could do it."

Sarutobi looked both surprised and impressed. It looked like she withheld more understanding and insight than he expected.

"That's true." Inoichi decided to ask once more, "So you're completely fine with this? If this is done probably, you'll suffer a mild headache but otherwise should be fine."

"Yeah." She could handle at least that much. She watched him bring his hands up to his clan's signature seal.

"Then we will begin." Those in the room watched in tentative silence as both bodies stilled after an initial impulse of chakra, waiting for the outcome.

**A/N Thanks for taking the time to read :D**

**I thought that it wouldn't be fun if she got into the village too easily, so why not add mental interrogation?**

**As always there are a couple of clumsy sentences and probably grammatical errors but nothing too big as far as I can tell.**

**Just letting some familiar readers know that once this surpasses the original I'll be taking the story down. (It's confusing having so many similarly named documents)**

**Anyway, let me know how you liked the chapter or just the story in general.**


	6. Allowance

\- - - - - **Mindscape** \- - - - -

"This is rather unique." Inoichi commented. The girl's mind was actually quite strange in fact. There was nothing that suggested anything of her, no shapes, colours, objects. He merely stood in a blank, white, hallway.

"How strange." Miyu added. Of course being her mind, she would be present with him. Inoichi easily assumed her surprised expression was from witnessing her conscience for the first time. "So, what exactly will you be doing?"

"It's just a simple investigation." He began walking forwards and his loud footsteps echoed down the hall. Miyu hurried to keep up, cursing her shorter limbs. She was ultimately confused. This white space was a vast change from the usual sewers, she could only assume Kurama changed something. Though, the overall format was similar so if she was correct they would be led to a large chamber soon.

"What is that?" It seems she was correct as they broke out of the hallway. It appeared that Kurama couldn't disguise everything as both of them stared up at the giant row of rusty bars. She shrugged, staying silent while the veteran ninja went over to investigate. "How odd." Just as she expected nothing was able to pass through the bars and he could easily rest his palm against the air between each strip of metal. "Do you happen to know what this could be or symbolise?"

"...the nurse at the hospital will probably report it later but there's a seal on my stomach." Miyu commented loosely, "I guess this is where it leads."

"So you don't remember what it's for?" He probed.

"It stores chakra." She said after a small silence. "Not my own. It acts like a secondary source."

"Hm." The Yamanaka was used to ninja sealing items in their body but wasn't storing more chakra redundant? Soldier pills would probably be more useful. "So, why don't we find the memories you do have?"

"How?" She was genuinely curious. Ino had never told her about what you could actually do with the human mind.

"As, uh...cliché as it sounds you must open your mind. I could force it out of you, but from what I've seen its excruciatingly painful..." Miyu shivered lightly. She had a high pain tolerance, sure, but that didn't mean she like the pain.

"I'll try my best then." She struggled to let down her walls, finally managing enough for glimpses of colour to appear on the floor they stood on.

"Down there then." Inoichi changed the direction of his attention, now focusing it downwards. "It seems memories appear at random locations. There was once a case where I had to look upwards for so long my neck ached." He was trying to lighten the atmosphere but Miyu couldn't help but feel slightly unsettled at the mention of his previous... victims.

They both focused on the episodic flashbacks and at once Miyu could see they were false. Some were simply of her training but the scenery had been altered to keep confidentiality and any people were removed. "What style of taijutsu is this?" It looked familiar yet unquestionably new.

"My own style. Picked up here and there I guess." Since there were no memories of her acquiring it he could only rely on her word. It was one of the most severe cases of amnesia he had seen before. and it didn't look like she'd ever be getting back those lost memories.

"And there is nothing else you remember? What about your fox?" His words triggered more false memories. A small, red fox, frolicking in the undergrowth, flashing to an older image before finally reaching a scene that mirrored Kurama's grown form. "That really is all there is..." He muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry I can't remember anything else." Miyu said apologetically. Maybe she was laying it on a little thick, but it would be more suspicious if she stayed completely silent.

"No, it's hardly your fault. There's nothing for you to be sorry about." He gave the room a final examination. "It seems that's about all we can do here. We should leave for now."

He slowly formed the familial seal with his hands and released the jutsu.

\- - - - -_ Reality_ \- - - - -

It was disconcerting for those in the room to watch the two, deathly still bodies, gazing emptily at each other. That was why they could safely safe they were relieved when, after a deep gasp, the two were brought back into the real world.

**''Welcome back kit.''** Kurama intoned. Miyu shot him a knowing look that garnered an explanation which would come in due time.

"So? What did you find Inoichi?" The Hokage asked, folding his hands underneath his chin.

"She wasn't lying. She does indeed only remember her abilities and pet fox." Inoichi replied with a straight face. The fox growled slightly at him for being called a mere pet.

"Partner." Miyu corrected feeling the expected migraine come about.

"Ah, sorry. Partner fox then." The Yamanaka replied, "It also seemed that her memory loss is permanent."

"Permanent?" Rin echoed, looking concerned for the younger child.

"So then she has nowhere else to go." Kakashi surmised. He was much at ease now that they had the affirmation of the T.I. Head.

"I see." Sarutobi thought long and hard, "Then I don't see a problem with admitting her into Konoha. Minato, from now on she will be your responsibility until she can take care of herself. Is that alright with you?"

"I'd be happy to help." The cheerful jounin answered truthfully. Minato actually quite liked the girl. There was just something about her that caught his attention.

"I'll be setting up an enrolment into the Academy." The Hokage informed, "You'll be put into the graduating level but according to your skill you may be moved. For now I'd like to welcome you to Konohagakure, Uzunami Miyu."

Sarutobi leant back in his chair with his subordinate still standing in front of him. They waited until the more recent guests had left, already shown to be walking out of the tower as Inoichi peered out the window.

"Well then Inoichi, what's the full report?" The Hokage asked with a serious expression.

"That girl, whether she knows it or not, is hiding something," The Yamanaka began, "Her mind was completely blank with no outstanding shapes or colours. That in itself, while it does suggest amnesia, is impossible."

"How so?" Sarutobi pressed.

"It's because of how she acts. If you had nearly all your memories erased except for that of your ninken, I'm presuming, and other ninja abilities, wouldn't you act more like those ninja Danzo raises? As an emotionless war tool?" Inoichi questioned, "Miyu, as far as I can tell, is a weary and cautious girl, but from the small moment I spent with her she does have a personality. That in itself should be reflected in her mind."

"I see, then how do you propose she managed to clear her mind?" The Hokage asked.

"That's the bit I'm not so sure about. I'd have to say it's from an outside influence." Inoichi said thoughtfully, "I'd recommend first finding out what the seal on her is for."

"Seal?"

"Ah, I forgot that you haven't seen her hospital report yet." The blonde realised, "In her mind, there was a row of rusty bars, a giant cage of some sort. When I asked her about it she said it came from the seal on her abdomen and that it was used for storing extra chakra. Since it was the only thing that stood out in her mind it probably has some sort of relevance to her missing memories."

"I call back Jiraiya, but until then maybe Minato will be able to figure it out." Inoichi nodded in approval, and prepared to take his leave. "One more thing," The Hokage called to his back, "What do you think her threat level is?"

"Possibly a three. If she doesn't remember, congratulations, you've got a new ninja. If she does, then we have a possible spy, but her position in the village limits the amount of information she can acquire, and don't forget the fact she is just a child." He declared before leaving the Hokage to his thoughts, paperwork long forgotten.

"Welcome!" A younger Teuchi said in his friendly voice. "I see you've brought a new customer."

"Yeah this is Miyu." Minato introduced, "You'll be seeing a lot of her around Konoha from now on."

"Well I guess that's enough reason for everything to be on the house today."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked as he stared at his leader who was currently drooling from the smell.

"Of course! Your sensei is one of my best customers. What does it matter if I offer you guys a free meal every once in a while?" Teuchi gave a laugh, "So what'll it be."

"Pork for me." Rin ordered.

"I'll have beef." Kakashi decided.

"4 pork, 5 miso and 3 beef for me Teuchi!" Minato announced as his students gagged. Miyu was tempted to say 'the usual' but held it back. She was going to have to do a lot of adjusting.

**''Beef!''** Kurama ordered eagerly though no one but Miyu understood. She just added the item to her own list of orders.

"6 miso, 2 pork and 4 beef, please!" She announced proudly. Everyone stared in surprise.

"Can you even eat that much?" Rin asked.

"It's not a competition so you don't have to try and out do our idiot sensei." Kakashi added, but all worries were washed away anyway after seeing her down her first bowl like a glass of water. Something they had only seen Minato himself do. Meanwhile said jounin looked incredible proud shouting that he had finally found himself a protégé.

So Kurama, what did you do? Miyu thought while relishing her meal. **''It's simple, I merely moved everything we wouldn't want the Yamanaka to see into the seal. The fox explained. Since it is still inside your mind you're able to remember everything as much as before, but an outsider will only see what I've allowed.''** The blonde nodded in approval. It was a smart move.

"So Miyu, do you have any questions?" Minato asked, jolting the girl out of her internal conversation.

"...Can I ask what's happening right now?" If possible it would be nice to know exactly when she had landed. She had her own guesses, but would like to have them confirmed.

"We are in the middle of the Third Shinobi War." Kakashi supplied, "It's a free for all, with every village for itself."

"Do you remember the other hidden villages?" Rin asked curiously. The girl nodded in response.

"Konohagakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Kirigakure." The girl listed.

"Correct." Minato praised, "There is really nothing else to say. The war's been going on for a while but at least it's finally turned in Konoha's favour." Miyu stored each bit of info away. That would mean Kanabi Bridge had been demolished and they were entering the last stretch of the war. It also meant she had been too late to spare Kakashi from the death of a comrade.

**''As cruel as this sounds, maybe that was for the better.'' **Kurama intoned. **''You cannot save everyone, and the child's death meant the development of Hatake's person.''** Miyu didn't try to argue with him, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.

"...Miyu!"

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

"Ne Shika," Naru rolled around on her friend's porch, watching a stray deer graze without a care, "How do you always know what to do?"

"Pft," The lazy strategist was sitting beside her, fanning himself to try and escape the sun's hot rays. "I don't always, but I at least know what I shouldn't do."

"Same thing." She played around with the water in the air, swirling about making different shapes. The brunet shook his head at her blatant show of skill, obviously trying to fight against boredom.

"Just observe you surroundings and double check what you already know, it isn't that hard." He yawned. "But then asking you to do anything mentally tasking is usually pointless."

"Hey!" The blond gave an indignant cry. The water fell from the air, splashing onto the grass.

"It's true, think about your fights. You just rush in headfirst where other people think of a tactic. You improvise, think in the moment. Most of us here can't do that so well."

Shikamaru explained. She didn't know whether it was a compliment or not so she left it.

"What if it's not a fight? What if you get in a bad situation that there are just so many options and you don't know what the consequences for your actions will be?" She asked vaguely.

"I have no idea what you're going about... whatever it is it sounds troublesome." He sighed, "When did you start sounding all philosophical?"

"Since the Fourth Shinobi War came knocking on our door," The blonde commented dryly, "Anything could happen, I just don't want to be stuck somewhere where I don't know what to do." She was stressed and he could tell.

"Well, you always have all of us to fall back on." He said calmly, "I don't think anyone it stupid enough to let you go in alone."

"But what if I do? What if I can't rely on you guys?" Naru pressed.

"Once again, I doubt you will ever get to that point. Even if they're not Konoha's, you have countless allies out there. You will never be alone." There was a strange fierceness in his voice and a protective glint in his eyes.

"Shika..." She moved her attention to the deer that had stopped eating to look around.

"If you ever do get into that situation I'll have to automatically assume we're all dead since that's the only way it'll happen," He continued ignoring her startled look, "Then follow your gut instincts. It's the rawest form of intuition we humans have and it's probably already gotten you out of some tight spots."

"That's it? Just follow what my stomach is telling me to do?" She scrunched her nose up in concentration, "Nothing else?"

"Well in that situation what else could you do?" He shrugged and stood up, dusting his pants off, "Follow whatever hunches you get, observe you surroundings carefully, and make use of what's around you. There's a limit to how far thinking can get you-"

"Says the guy who's always at least a hundred steps ahead..." She mumbled under her breath which the Nara ignored.

"And you shouldn't worry needlessly. Go with the flow." He led the stray deer back into the forest in the direction towards its herd.

"You're too laidback." Naru grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah," He waved off her complaint, "It would make the others uneasy if I acted all worried, it's unlike me. That's why you should also return to your cheerful self." She huffed at him before smiling.

"I guess that's right." She moved into a sitting position and motioned for him to sit back down, "Anyway, I came here in the first place to tell you about the next mission. The details are in this scroll and I expect to see you in uniform at the gates tomorrow at 5:00am sharp." She chucked a deep-green scroll at him, a leaf tattoo on her left bicep coming into view.

"Hai Taicho." He gave her a lazy salute pausing as her yawned yet again.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

Miyu blinked blearily, feeling a heavy weight on her chest. Slowly sitting up she saw it was Kurama sleeping on top of her, yet pushing him off did nothing to alleviate the pressure.

The fox yipped as he tumbled onto the floor and she was given a chance to look around the room. For the second time since entering the past, the blonde found herself in the white-walled room of Konoha's hospital. There must have already been someone nearby, because before long she was surrounded by the remainder of the current Team 7 and a familiar nurse.

"Miyu-chan, how are you feeling?" Minato asked concerned. It had been a shock for his team and Teuchi when the girl suddenly collapsed at the ramen store.

"Fine." She did a self-check of her body, "I feel alright."

"That's a relief." Rin sighed, "It was wrong to take you out of the hospital so soon. Despite your healing abilities, there would have been some sort of lasting effect of such extensive damage." Miyu allowed the training medic nin to look over her, though the present nurse was thoroughly put off.

"Your condition seems stable so I'll be leaving to check on some other patients." The woman announced, leaving the girl in Rin's capable hands.

**''I fear that the worse may come to pass.''** Kurama's voice echoed softly in her mind. You mean that was the side effects of the time-travel jutsu?She asked. **''Possibly, usually it would not take effect until the first years pass. We will have to wait and see. Hopefully it was just your body forcing you to rest and recover from damage.''** He sounded unsure, but it was the best he could give her.

"You should be more careful." Kakashi warned, bringing a small smile to her face.

"Are you sure you're alright now?" Minato checked, "I was planning on showing you my apartment yesterday, since that's where you'll be staying, but we never got a chance after you collapsed." She picked out the fact she had been unconscious for quite a few hours.

"I feel healthy enough." Miyu replied truthfully, "I think I was just tired."

"Either way, make sure you're aware of your own state." Rin scolded, "You shouldn't be so ignorant that you would collapse at random intervals." She was quite adamant about this thought and it reminded her of her deceased teammate. The occupants in the room sensed her shift in mood and looked worriedly down at the saddened girl. "I don't mean to be harsh, but take care of yourself." The medic finished.

"I apologize for troubling you all." Miyu responded politely.

"We were just worried." Minato waved off. "For now we should probably let you rest some more." He ushered himself and his students out, leaving the girl alone with her fox.

Maybe you should sleep some more? The demon fox suggested. The time-traveller nodded and sunk back beneath the sheets, wrinkling her nose at the slightly smell of antiseptic, before falling into an empty, dreamless rest.

**A/N Once again thank you for reading!**

**I hope you all enjoyed the random flashback (which will become a regular thing), and Shika's appearance.**

**If you were wondering about Naru's skill levels, she was a sage like the canon, and now you know she was also an Anbu. The flashback would've been around when she was 17ish.**

**Though now as a child you can say a lot of her skills have deteriorated...**

**Slowly we see Miyu being integrated into Konoha (ah titles are hard...this one was supposed to describe Konoha allowing her in...). Next up is the Academy and another familiar face...maybe two...**

**Anyway, drop a review if you can be bothered. Otherwise I'm just happy knowing the fic's been read~**


	7. Adapt to change

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

Naru swung her legs idly back and forth as she sat on the edge of a cliff. There was a cool wind blowing through her shortened hair and the crashing sounds of the waterfall soothed her heart.

"I knew I'd find you here." A warm voice said as she heard footsteps behind her.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei, like you I'm doomed to spend hours wasting away in front of a stone." She waved over at the direction of a neatly made tombstone, which she had taken the time to painstakingly carve.

"At least I'm still in Konoha where people can find me." Her sensei gave a small greeting to his buried student.

"Hey! It's my day off anyway," Naru pouted, it's not like she could visit every day. Why did the Valley of the End have to be on the border of Fire country?

"Maa-maa, no need to get all feisty on me." He ruffled her hair, "Why did you have to cut it anyway?"

"It was stained with blood," She answered simply. Despite the fact it wasn't possible for blood to stain hair, and that it had been washed out long ago, she could always see the blood soaked strands whenever she looked at her reflection. Thus she had hacked it off, and her sunny blonde hair now only came up to her shoulders. She had already dealt with Ino and Sakura screaming about what a waste it was, making her promise to grow it out again.

"So," Kakashi began after a moment of peaceful silence, "What flowers did you bring him?" He had seen the gorgeous bouquet resting on the Uchiha's grave, wrapped in elegant black paper and a red ribbon.

"I got him some pink carnations, lots of cyclamens, a couple daffodils, geraniums, purple hyacinths, some random pansies, and some crimson roses. Ino wasn't at the shop today so her dad wrapped them up for me. Apparently he's working on a rose hybrid that would have been perfect, but they're taking a while to grow so they'll have to wait for next time." Kakashi hummed in thought as she listed off the flowers almost professionally.

"Maybe I'll bring something for him next time as well." He decided.

"The teme would probably like that. I know Sakura visits on her day off as well but she can't come often due to hospital work."

"It's understandable. Deaths aren't uncommon in our line of work so it's hard to find time to mourn properly." Kakashi said knowingly.

"Yeah, yeah." Naru wanted to stop him before he fully went into teacher mode. She stood up dusting off her jumpsuit and turning to face the taller male. "So what did you need me for?"

"Tsunade-sama wanted to see you. She said it was urgent." There was another silence with an added coy smile from the tale male.

"Then why didn't you tell me straight away!" Naru shouted at the laid-back man. "Unlike you I refuse to be three hours late to important appointments!" She quickly left the area via shunshin after a small wave towards the grave.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

Miyu blinked a couple of times, trying to get back to sleep. It didn't work seeing her biological clock had been waking her up at 4:00am for the past three years. There was an uncomfortable weight on her and she pushed it off, smiling as she heard a surprised yelp. With a discontent look the fox rolled back onto his feet and slapped her with his tail.

"Did you ever think that if you stopped sleeping on top of me, I'd stop pushing you off?" She suggested. Kurama merely gave her a look that said he wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. Looking out of the hospital window she could see the sun hadn't even risen yet and deduced no one would be checking on her anytime soon. Miyu sat up and crossed her legs preparing to meditate. It was better she found out where exactly her chakra levels were right now.

"Don't bother me." She told the fox as she settled into slow and steady breaths. She focused on her chakra which was significantly smaller than before and set about improving her circulation. She followed the flow around her body separating the large mass into something small enough to be counted as units. She could feel the nature's energy around her but avoided it for the moment, deciding that sage mode was a skill which should be saved for when she was better trained. Her chakra reserves were no longer as large as she remembered. They we're roughly the same as a newbie chuunin or a trained genin, something that did not bode well with her or her future plans. At least less chakra made it more manageable and her chakra control, no matter how bad it was before, hadn't lowered further.

**''It was already at the bottom so of course it could not get worse... ''**The fox taunted. Her brow twitched in annoyance but she didn't retaliate.

"So, what should I get to doing first?" She asked. After entering the new timeline there was so much for her to do and she had no idea where to start. Speaking to the Hokage yesterday reminded her of the civil war in Amegakure where Pein would emerge from. If possible she would have to prevent that by somehow saving Konan and Nagato's friend.

_''They would be strong allies, especially the Rinnegan user.''_ The fox yipped approvingly.

"I don't know when the war is going to end so I should try and get to them as soon as possible, and I'm hardly strong enough to defeat their enemies." She looked at her weak limbs, "I heard that Danzo had a hand in this whole thing and sent over heaps of his Root agents. I'll be relying on you quite a bit and I know you haven't fully recovered either."

**''We will make do like always, thinking has never been your strong point so do not start now. He teased.''**

"Baka-fox," she shoved him lightly before deciding she had spent enough time in bed, and hoped off. Miyu hardly made a sound when she landed, and tried to get a feel for her body. It was awkward at best, seeing as she thought her limbs were longer than they actually were.

**''Your taijutsu was not a strong point either, and truthfully you are bound to have gotten much worse.''**

"I don't even want to think about it. I guess I should start conditioning my body? Should I start with weights?"

**''Better not Kit,''** Kurama answered, your body is still growing at the moment. You may stunt your growth.

"So what can I do?" She asked.

**''Stamina training, chakra exercises... feel free to use some resistance seals.''**

"I don't have any ink or a brush." Miyu wouldn't mind putting the seals on now, since there wasn't anything better to do until someone realised she was awake. Judging by the fact the sun had not yet risen, that would be quite some time. The fox waved its tail around and pointed at her arm.

**''We will just have to use old fashioned methods and use your blood in place of ink. I will write it on for you.''** She nodded and searched the room for a small jar, found in one of the drawers, before biting her wrist and letting the blood flow out. She got a decent amount before her arm automatically healed up.

"Here ya go. You remember the seals I used to use right?"

**''Of course, who do you think I am?''** He yipped indignantly.

"The great Kyuubi no Kitsune, yeah, yeah." Miyu answered sarcastically, "Now come on, get it over with." He grumbled as much as a fox could and dipped the tip of his tail into her blood. In quick deft strokes he drew five identical seals, on the inside of each wrist, on her ankles and one on the back of her neck.

**''Done, now you just have to activate them**.**''** He sat down and began cleaning his tail by licking the blood off.

"Does it even taste that good?" Miyu asked in curiosity.

**''As a matter of fact yes. You humans always cook your food so you would not understand the taste of fresh blood and flesh.'' **She just stared as he moved onto lapping the leftover blood, enjoying it like the carnivore he was.

"Right then," She pushed a small amount of chakra into each seal and tried to move around a bit. Nothing substantial yet, it just felt as if her movements were being hindered by the air itself. "Alright, there working now." The seal itself glowed dully and she waited for it to fade before rubbing the blood off, the resistance seals permanently in place."You need to get washed off..." Miyu said glancing at the fox whose muzzle had traces of blood. The jar itself though was sparkling clean.

**''How is your elemental control?''** Kurama asked. Miyu concentrated long and hard trying to conjure up some water but failed with only a slightly damp mist that made him sneeze.

"No good." She looked at her small hands in frustration, before sighing and shaking her head. "Well, let's go find a sink and get you washed up."

"You're awake!" Minato said surprised as he led his two students into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Rin asked pleasantly.

"Better. I think a good rest was all I needed." Miyu answered with a warm smile.

"You'll probably be discharged then. If the nurses say you're ok." Kakashi added. True to his words when her nurse came in to check on her she was declared fine and then out the doors within ten minutes.

"So, where's your fox?" The blond jounin questioned as they walked.

"Out hunting." Miyu replied.

"I hope he doesn't attack the Nara's deer." Minato worried, faltering in his step.

"He knows better, and he only eats wild animals." The fox's partner stated. In her timeline the Naras had taken a drastic and much needed measure, using their prized deer as provisions for the then homeless civilians and fighting ninja. The whole herd was gone in a month.

"So, we should probably go shopping today... you're going to need some new clothes." She couldn't go around just wearing the hospital-given civilian clothes. They'd have to get something more proper especially if she wanted to be a ninja.

"...I don't have any money." Miyu commented.

"We didn't expect you to." Rin responded, "That's why Minato-sensei will be paying for you."

"I couldn't-"

"It's a mission." Kakashi cut in. "The Hokage is practically giving us a break. We are assigned to take care of you and the money we receive after would be used to pay for any necessities and then some."

"Ah." Miyu smiled at the elderly Hokage. She would definitely have to repay him then. Before they had even realised it they had arrived at their main destination.

"Miyu, in here!" Minato led her over to a large clothing store and quickly went about browsing.

"Hey Rin," Kakashi turned to his teammate, "Don't you think those two look related somehow?" His eyes flicked between the jounin and soon to be academy student.

"Now that you mention it they do have a lot of similarities. I mean Minato-sensei's hair colour is quite unique in fire country and she has the exact same shade. The Yamanakas don't count since their hair is usually platinum blonde. They have similar facial structures as well, but I can't really tell since Miyu's still a kid." Rin seemed to be thinking pretty hard, "Their eye colours are also fairly alike, but Miyu's is a shade greener than blue." Both of Minato's students watched the cheerful interaction between the two blondes.

"It isn't completely unlikely for someone Sensei's age to have a young child..." Kakashi trailed off.

"I can go ask some of the nurses at the hospital if you want." Rin offered, "They have samples of her blood which we can compare to see if they're related." The boy nodded showing his approval. There was no way two people so similar wouldn't be related.

"Rin! Kakashi! Get over here!" their sensei called. Both students stopped their conversation and came over.

"What is it?" The medic asked.

"Doesn't she look adorable!?" He pointed over at Miyu who was dressed in an orange turtleneck and a pleated black skirt.

"That won't do at all!" Rin exclaimed quickly sifting through some other clothing racks. "She should wear something like this!" In a flash the girl had been changed into a cute orange summer dress. Kakashi eyed the glint of the silver rings around her neck, wondering why they looked so familiar. There was also a green gem hanging between them that reminded him of Tsunade's famous necklace.

"She wants to be a ninja so get her something practical," Kakashi sighed. He pulled out a pair of black pants and a matching top.

"Eh?" Minato and Rin cried, "But that's boring!"

"There's no orange..." Miyu muttered looking down at the black clothes in her hands. Despite how ill-fitting the colour was for a ninja she couldn't help but like it.

"Well we're definitely keeping the dress." Rin replaced the black top with the summer dress.

"I like this one!" Miyu pulled out an orange sleeveless hoodie that was trimmed with black.

"Then we'll get it," Minato decided adding a couple more of his own choices to the pile. "Uh, Rin... could I get you to find Miyu some...uh...undergarments?" The jounin requested.

"Of course!" Rin pulled the girl over to the back of the store and began sifting through different articles. "These should do for now." She said placing a mixture of orange, black and blue items in the girl's hands, "Though you'll have to come back here when you're older." Miyu nodded in understanding. They walked back to where the two males were waiting to pay and added the underwear to the pile. Miyu adopted a grudgingly accepting look when she couldn't pay, but before long they were all done, standing outside deciding what to do next.

"Oh shoot!" Rin exclaimed looking up at a clock on the shop wall, "I need to get to work!" She bid the group farewell and dashed off.

"Since we're done I'll be leaving too-" Kakashi turned to leave but a strong hand grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

"Not so fast Kakashi~" Minato had an almost frightening smile on his face, "I need to pick up some groceries so while I'm gone, show Miyu around Konoha." The silver haired boy sighed, but agreed knowing there was no way for him to refuse.

"Where would you like to go?" The rather socially inept boy asked.

"Anywhere, should be fine." Miyu replied with a shrug. She had no idea how she should act in front of the younger Kakashi, and to make matters worse, she was alone since Kurama was still off hunting. The weather was fine, the sun shining down brightly on the two undecided kids. She fiddled with the chain around her neck, noticing it was different from the old ones that used to carry the matching rings, and wondered where the fox got it from.

"So, those rings are important to you?" Kakashi asked after a long silence.

"Yes," She replied softly her eyes full of various emotions, "They're very precious to me." The boy tried to identify her expressive eyes but only managed to pick out sadness before they were buried once again. They continued to walk until Kakashi suddenly stopped, and looked around nervously. "Are you okay?" Miyu asked, inwardly curious at seeing the panicked side of Kakashi.

"Shh!" He covered her mouth rather desperately, though he was trying to hide it. "He'll hear you." The blonde was completely confused and was tempted to shout just to find out who this person was. Turns out she didn't need to.

"KAKASHI!" Came a booming voice as some ran towards them. Whoever it was, they must've been running quite fast to create clouds of dust in their wake. "My eternal rival!"

Kakashi swore under his breath cursing Minato for dragging him out of his apartment that morning. Miyu's eyes visibly widened as a green-spandex wearing teen with a bowl cut and defined eyebrows skidded to a stop in from of them. "I am here to offer my condolences!" The silver haired teen briefly wondered if he could shout any louder. Miyu assumed

it was for Obito's death and came to realise how close she had been to saving the boy.

"Uh, thanks..." The boy answered awkwardly. It seemed this Kakashi hadn't found a way to deal with Gai yet. Miyu at least found his presence warming and comforting, something she missed when he was gone.

"No problem! It's the least I can do. I heard that your flames of youth have dimmed and came precisely to fan the fires back up to their former glory!" He ranted on passionately until finally taking notice of his rival's companion. "And who is this youthful looking miss? You must introduce me, my rival!"

"Ah, this is Uzunami Miyu." Kakashi replied. "She's new to Konoha."

"Mmf fu meef oo." Kakashi realised his hand still covered her mouth so he quickly removed it. "Nice to meet you." Miyu repeated.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Gai said in his usual loud voice, "I am Maito Gai, Konoha's sublime green beast and Hatake Kakashi's eternal rival!" Miyu wondered if she should also try to get a cool nickname this time around but quickly pushed the thought away. "That being said, Kakashi, I challenge you to a duel!"

"Sorry I must decline." Kakashi replied swiftly, "As you can see I am showing Miyu around Konoha."

"It's fine there are various ways to compete that would take little to none of your time!" He continued undeterred, "How about a game of wit? Or shall we test our luck again?" He just wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Um, could I suggest something?" Miyu asked quietly, Kakashi giving her a wary look, "It's a game that will test your mental endurance."

"What is it?" The Hatake asked.

"It's who can stay silent for the longest." He instantly perked up at the idea.

"How will this help?" Gai questioned, quite confused.

"What if you're on a mission and you need to be silent, sneaking through the shadows? Then you'll have to practice keeping quiet right?" Her logic was flawless.

"That is actually a very youthful idea. Kakashi let us both try this game! And, if I cannot defeat you I will run a hundred laps around Konoha..." The boy nodded in agreement as his self-proclaimed rival went off on another rant. "...And if I cannot do that I will climb the Hokage monument with only my fingertips-"

"I think we should begin." Kakashi hastily cut him off and awaited the peace that was sure to come.

**A/N As always, thanks for reading :D**

**This time the flashback was a short moment between Naru and Kakashi, timed a couple of months after Sasuke's death.**

**Not a lot's happening right now but I aim to rectify that soon.**

**Anyway I hope you continue reading.**


	8. Mission start

~Chapter 4 - MISSION START

"Welcome back you two!" Minato quickly ushered in his student and his newest charge. "Kakashi you'll be staying for dinner today~" Once again his student was unable to decline and thus found himself sitting comfortably on the couch. Miyu was idly twirling her long hair, wondering why Kurama still hadn't returned. Contrary to popular belief, neither of the ramen loving blondes exclusively ate the delicious noodles. After all, it was important for a ninja to get enough nutrition in their diet. That's why today, Minato was standing over the stove in an apron, making a curry of some sort. "So did you have fun Miyu?"

"Mmhm, I made a very youthful friend and he's going to help me with taijutsu... as soon as he finishes his laps!" Of course Gai had lost the mentally 'challenging' game, and apparently the score was 51-49 in Kakashi's favour.

"Kakashi, you didn't..." The blonde jounin uttered in disbelief. His student put his hands up defensively,

"It's not like I was expecting him to be looking for me, and no matter what you can't really avoid him..." He curled up depressingly.

"I like him!" Miyu decided to add, "He seems like a good person,"

"Gai is a good boy," Minato agreed, "But he is slightly eccentric." Both males were surprised that she didn't mind the spandex-wearing teen where most would be running in fear.

"But he's interesting! And very... youthful!" She smiled brightly. Even if this wasn't her correct time, and even if nobody knew her, it was always nice to see a familiar face. A soft thumping sounded at the door, jolting her from her thoughts while Kakashi got up to answer it.

"Gah!"

"What is it?!" Minato wondered what could have frightened the stoic teen. He walked around Kakashi and opened the door only to come face to face with a tiger's maw.

"Ahhh!"

"Kurama!" Miyu ran to the door and by now Kakashi and Minato realised that the tiger wasn't even alive anymore. Looking closer Minato saw it had been eaten rather neatly and carried back by the fox.

''I brought back a gift kit'' He was in a good mood after a very successful hunt.

"Since when could foxes take down tigers? Especially one as big as this, it looks like one of the overgrown animals in the Forest of Death." Kakashi mused.

''That's because it is.'' The fix yipped back. Through the carcass was several times his own size he had no trouble lugging it through the village, unnoticed as well.

"Kurama is strong." Miyu commented.

"Strong? In what way?" Minato asked curiously.

"He can fight." The girl said proudly.

"Ah," Kakashi uttered, "But still, to take down this tiger..."

"Ku likes eating other carnivores," Miyu as if it clarified things, "they taste better and he likes the thrill of battle."

"Really now?" Minato wondered, "Well come on in, we can't have the neighbours notice and start worrying." He helped to drag the ridiculously large remains onto his kitchen floor where it just stayed for lack of anywhere better to go. "Until this is clean we are definitely not placing it anywhere near the carpet." He waved a ladle around threateningly, and both Miyu and Kurama nodded in reply, ever so slightly afraid of the blond in the frilly pink apron though they would never freely admit it.

After dinner, Kakashi left for his own apartment and Miyu went to bed exhausted. Today was just too tiring for her younger, untrained body. She would probably have to do monstrous amounts of training if she hoped to protect anyone. Goodnight kit, Kurama conveyed.

"Goodnight to you too." She yawned tiredly and slipped under the covers.

\- - - - - Dream - - - - -

"Shh!" Her companion hushed her as they stalked their target, hidden stealthily in the bushes. Naru nodded tensely and waited for the signal. The man counted down on his fingers before rapidly making a series of hand signs. Out of the bushes jumped a white blur, fiercely attacking the target and she was given the signal.

"Now!" The man shouted, readying his kunai. The white blur was flung off but it had given her enough time to catch her target. She struggled slightly to keep its maw shut long enough for her companion to finish it off She heard the quick slash and the spray of blood, sighing in relief as its thrashing lessened before it finally died. She stepped back, marvelling at the white tiger that had died, the slit in its neck, staining its fur crimson.

"Haa, that was nerve wracking." Naru wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You did good." The man complimented, "Usually it's a lot harder with only me and Akamaru." He gave a short bark and the white blur returned, showing and extremely large dog.

"Kiba, remind me why we're doing this again." The girl sighed.

"The forest of death is a pretty big food source as well, and we need provisions." The Inuzuka shrugged.

"I don't think they would appreciate eating tiger though." He waved off her worries.

"Like they'll ever have to know. Meat is meat." His partner barked in agreement.

"But this will last us for a while." She was slightly relieved, it's not like they had any other choice. Food was beginning to get scarce, there was no time to get picky.

"I know right." Kiba smiled cheerfully, "Now come here, I'll show you how to skin it." While Akamaru busied himself chasing colourful butterflies, Kiba guided her hand, giving her hints here and there about what to do.

"It' feels really weird." She commented pulling her hand out to see it covered in blood.

"You'll get used to it." He looked at the tiger's hide and gave her a thumbs up, "Not bad for a first timer."

"Thanks." She wiped off her dirty kunai and began helping him remove the meat from the bones. "So what do we do with the guts?"

"Leave it out for the scavengers." He smirked ferally, "We should fatten them up in case we run out of tigers." She shook her head in defeat, but couldn't deny his logic. Akamaru came back for a rather large femur, while he owner searched around on the forest floor.

"What are you looking for?" Naru asked curiously.

"Ah, Shino said he was searching for a rare bug in this forest before and he couldn't find it." He answered, "I was going to see if I could find it. I already have the general description."

"You two get along well." She told him truthfully.

"Nah," The dog-boy blushed, "In the beginning we fought all the time, though Hinata would always bring us back together."

"That was years ago." Naru pointed out.

"Hahahh, I guess you're right." Kiba accepted, "Shino's just a pretty cool guy. It was only after we both threw our pride away that I started to understand him. I think it was on a mission just after we got chuunin."

"I'm just glad you stopped annoying Hinata with your ridiculous fights." Naru pulled out her sealing equipment to safely store the meat.

"Yeah," He thought back fondly, "Now come on, hurry up! I'll race you back. I bet Kakashi's moping around being all lonely without you."

"He's a grown man." She hit him playfully with more power than she intended and sent him sprawling.

"Ow! That freakin' hurt!" He growled picking himself up.

"Ah, sorry about that," She laughed, "I've been training with Sakura lately." Now Kiba was the one moping around, rubbing his bruised nose.

"Well, come on. It's a race right?" Naru agreed trying to get his spirits back up. It worked and he was excited all over again.

"Yes! I swear this time I'll beat you. Let's get going Akamaru!" He and his ninken dashed off without any more warning.

"Well that was sudden." She blinked a couple of times before a smirk stretched across her face and disappeared in a flash of yellow.

\- - - - - Reality - - - - -

More dreams...Naru slowly got up and stretched her arms up. Hearing a satisfying crack she let them fall back to the sides before padding to the kitchen. Kurama was still sleeping on her bed so she let while she got to work, eyeing the dead beast on the floor. Fingering a kitchen knife she got to work, skinning the tiger with practised ease. She sealed the skin away to wash later on and began removing flesh, soon all the was left were a couple of bones which she could probably give Kakashi the next time he came... or maybe even make a trip to the Inuzuka. She cursed having to stand on her tip-toes to clean up the area before opening several drawers and the fridge. She pulled out a small amount of ingredients and chucked them in a pot with the remaining tiger meat, listening to the satisfying sizzle.

That day Minato smelled stew when he woke up, and followed his nose to the kitchen. "Miyu? What are making?"

"Stew!" She pulled out a pair of bowls and gave each of them a generous amount.

"It smells great." The older blonde said in appreciation.

"I hope it tastes alright." Miyu tried some herself and smiled at the nostalgic taste.

"It tastes better than it smells." Minato said after his first bite. He looked towards his kitchen which had been cleaned up nicely when a thought hit him. "Hm? Where did the tiger go?" Miyu continued eating, watching as the fox finally trudged out only to fall back asleep on her lap.

"I cleaned up, since it was Kurama brought in the mess anyway." She answered. He was thankful but ultimately still curious.

"But that thing was huge, where did you put it?" It sure as hell wouldn't fit in the dumpster around the corner. He didn't even know if she would be able to move the thing.

"Well I skinned it and I still have the bones with me..."

"But what happened to the rest of it?"

"..." She stared pointedly at her bowl which was almost empty.

"...you put it in the stew didn't you...?" She nodded and watched as he stared impassively at his meal. He contemplated for a long while before shrugging and polishing his bowl off.

"Well it tastes fine and in the end meat is meat..." He looked back towards the pot, "Do you mind if I give some to my students?"

"No, that's fine." In fact she was happy he wanted to share, ignoring the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Do you think you can give the bones to the Inuzuka?"

"Sure, I think their ninken will be happy. Where did you put them?" Miyu pulled out a scroll and handed it to him, "A sealing scroll. No, it seems a little different." Being the seal master he was, Minato couldn't help but analyse the pattern, "A preservation seal? Where did you find this?" Miyu nudged the fox awake and put him on the table.

"He likes to horde things in his fur." She stated.

''I do not horde, I collect,'' He corrected, ''and the items are for you anyway.'' She nudged him and he searched his fluffy neck for another scroll. He was lucky and tossed the object to the jounin.

"But where did it get the scrolls from." The demon yipped an answer while Miyu translated.

"He said there were dead people in the forest so he took some of their belongings." Minato nodded in acceptance seeing as ninja frequently died in the forest of death, pushing the fact she could understand the fox aside for now. "So you know how to activate the scrolls then?"

"Yep, you just push in a bit of chakra." It was a quite a simple thing, used regularly to store food.

"I might take some for Hokage-sama as well. I'll be seeing him later on today about your enrollment." Minato stated. "Since there's really nothing for you to do at the moment why don't you familiarize yourself with Konoha? Take your time and explore the village. I trust you won't get lost."

"Alright." The girl said happy enough to go with his plans.

''Kit I think we should start on that mission,'' Kurama advised as the two slowly wandered into the forest, away from prying eyes.

"I agree." Her eyes narrowed as she scanned her surroundings for anything dubious before putting her hands together, crossing over her index and middle fingers. A soft poof, as well as pink smoke accompanied a completely identical clone. "Quick, turn around." She commanded. The replica did as told, also holding up its hair so its neck was visible. Miyu quickly drew a seal in blood and activated it, feeling a large chunk of her chakra disappear.

''Now that is done we need to get moving.'' The fox urged.

"You know what to do right?" She asked her clone.

"Of course boss!" It responded.

"Good, take care all right." Miyu disappeared into the undergrowth with the fox while the clone walked back onto the street as if nothing had happened.

"How much of your power have you restored?" Miyu asked her companion as the dashed through the forest, hurry out of Fire country.

''Around 60%,'' came the fox's reply. The girl sighed.

"It'll have to do." She held up her left hand in the tiger seal, "Restriction level 1 release." The fox grew bigger, about to the size of a large horse, and had another tail added on.

''I feel stronger already.'' He stretched his muscles and pawed the ground, before nudging the girl onto his back. I hate having humans on me but you are an exception...

"I love you too Kurama-chan." Miyu said scratching behind his ears pleasantly. The fox let out a low whine and shivered with pleasure.

''Kit, kit... stop, we need to get going...'' He was reluctant but at least knew they had more important things to be doing.

"You're right," The blonde admitted, "Let's see now... Kagehenge!" A poof of pink gas surrounded her and when it dissipated she was in her nineteen year-old body and her old Anbu uniform, her hair tied up in a high ponytail with a silver ribbon.

''You are not going to mask your face?'' Kurama asked as he ran.

"No, I'll let them see me and maybe they will find a connection with my younger body if we ever meet again. I also know people don't usually trust masks, it can be unnerving."

The fox gave a curt nod, accepting her reason. "But we should hurry, I don't know the exact timeline, so for all we know we could be too late. I hope we get there in time." Miyu prayed, leaning into the fox's fur.

''If you are that worried why do you not teleport us there then?'' He replied in her mind, you did not actually forget about it...right?

"...of course not." The time traveller said unconvincingly. "I was planning to ... save my strength for the battle."

''I will be the one doing most of the work so feel free to use it. It is probably better that way, after all the run to Ame might wear me down.'' She listened to the fox's advice, directing her chakra to her eyes. Blue bled into red as her Sharingan was pushed past the first level and the three black tomoes swirled into a new pattern. Hey chakra surged and the area around her distorted before they both vanished from view.

"Ah! Shit!" Miyu cursed, trying to keep her presence low as she literally free fell through the air, still on the back of the enlarged fox.

''You know what kit, the fox did the animal equivalent of a sigh, we would never have gotten in this sort of situation if you had practised your Sharingan more!'' He certainly didn't like the idea of falling several hundred metres onto rocky grounds.

"Shut up! And stop complaining!" She growled back. He should know full well by now that she hated using 'her' Sharingan. "Anyway we need a plan, quick!" Looking down she could see two tiny dots, probably Nagato and... was it Yahiko? While on top of a cliff facing them was Hanzo the Salamander, holding Konan hostage, with a sea of ninja behind him.

''So, have you got anything?'' Kurama asked quickly, not wanting to ruin the element of surprise that they had. Miyu shrugged, hardly reassuring him.

"I'll release some more of your power and you'll fall into the middle of the army and take out as many ninja as possible. Meanwhile I'll free Konan and take on Hanzo. If they have any sense in them Yahiko and Nagato will join the fight soon enough."

''So basically charge in and wreak havoc?'' The fox simplified with an eager grin.

"Exactly." She grinned back, "Restriction level 4, release!" Kurama felt a surge as a large amount of his power returned. His body grew again, several times his current size, and an added three tails sprouted.

''This is what I am talking about!'' He let out a deafening roar and she released her hold. Being much bigger than before, he of course fell much faster, landing in the midst of surprised and frightened ninja.

"What the hell!"

"Gah!"

''Roar''Kurama thought while preforming another devastating wail.

"Shit! Get outta the way!"

"Where the fuck did the giant fox come from?!"

"Just get out of the way!"

"Someone explain what the fuck is going on!" Hanzo shouted, glaring at the fox that was panicking his well-organized army. Many of his soldiers had already fallen, and at the rate the feral animal was attacking, things were just getting started.

"Isn't it obvious?" came a serene voice from behind. He quickly turned his body back, flicking out a kunai towards the speaker. "Oya, oya, you should watch were you're throwing."

"Who the hell are you?" He growled out at the new arrival. The, frankly stunning, blonde kunoichi stared back with a hint of mischievousness in her eyes. Eyes which held the Sharingan, and no ordinary one at that. He hissed with dissatisfaction.

"I wonder," She put a finger to her chin in thought and he suddenly noticed the loss of his hostage who was now unconscious in her arms, "I really don't have a good answer to that question right now."

"What are you talking about? Who are you and what are you doing here?! And where the hell did the fox come from?!" Kurama was naturally doing a great job. He easily repelled any kunai or shuriken with his tails, though they wouldn't do much damaged regardless, and fired back with his own torrents of flames. She could hear the screams as well as the splatter of blood and had no doubt in mind that he was enjoying it.

"For now let's just say I'm a vagrant shinobi here to save the damsel in distress." She carelessly threw the blue haired woman over the cliff and out of the way, sure that her friends would come to catch her. "And didn't you see? The fox and I fell from the sky."

"Argh! I don't have time for this you ignorant child!" He watched as his only hostage disappeared from view, "Die! And get out of my way! Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Ibuse!" A large dark brown salamander appeared underneath him, hissing and growling at his next opponent.

"You live up to your name Salamander~" Miyu taunted. She inwardly hoped that he wasn't the type to get stronger when angry, otherwise she would have no chance defeating the man who had overpowered the Sannins.

"Ibuse, Dokugiri!" Hanzo commanded. The quicker he got rid of the nuisance the sooner Amegakure would be under his control. The giant salamander exhaled a toxic purple gas that would almost instantly paralyze its victims. Get out of there Kurama, Miyu projected, I'm about to knock out his army.

"Fuuton – Daitoppa!" With about double the normal amount of needed chakra she blew out a gust of air, sweeping past the poisonous cloud and sending it back. Of course Hanzo and his summon were not affected but the same couldn't be said about the ninja behind him. She'd have to thank his anger that he had momentarily forgotten his surroundings, focusing all of his attention on her.

''I was having fun though...'' Kurama whined as he appeared beside her. He was already much bigger than Hanzo's salamander and frankly had the advantage.

"Get rid of Ibuse for me," Miyu ordered, "If it takes enough damage it'll return back to the summons realm."

''I would be glad to. I have never been one for amphibians anyway.'' The snarled intimidatingly at the salamander, baring his teeth and clawing the ground.

"I'm going to need some time, so until then don't let them touch me!" She was confident that the Kyuubi no Kitsune, even in his weakened form would be able to hold Hanzo off.

Meanwhile she poured all her concentration into focusing her chakra into her right hand. Bright sparks shot off it but nothing substantial yet. The fox held its breath and dashed in, swiping at the summon and aiming to spear it with one of its tails. Hanzo fended the tails off diligently with the blade of a sickle-like weapon while the amphibian dodged with surprising agility,

''Stand still would you?'' Kurama growled out in irritation. He would probably need to breathe soon and didn't want to stand next to the poisonous creature any longer. The next time it breathed out the gas would be its last.

"Again!" Hanzo commanded after the five minutes he needed were up, "Dokugiri!"

''Perfect.'' His voice resounded with smug satisfaction. The fox arched his back before rearing back and shooting a large fireball into the fray. The cloud of poison ignited and Hanzo was thrown off his mount which was now writhing and screeching as it burned. The fox laughed wildly in yips and yowls as the fires brushed harmlessly across its fur. ''That'll teach you to go up against me! The great Kyuubi no Kitsune!'' Miyu ignored his gloating as her preparation were finished and stared into the explosion's smoke for her target.

Her Sharingan easily found him around some rubble, kneeling and possibly badly injured. She lowered her stance slightly before dashing forward, her arm covered in blue electricity, shaping it like a blade. She wouldn't give him a chance to recover or escape, happy enough that the explosion trick had caught him.

A/N Thanks for reading :D

I hope you enjoyed the Kiba/Naru dream. This would have been during the war, near the beginning, before things started going bad. Naru is out of Anbu here and Kiba is about the level of an Anbu recruit. You can imagine most of the Konoha 11 aroung this level as well.

The dreams will continue and I hope to show you a lot of moments between Naru and her friends. I'll also try to relate them with the story. This time it had to do with tigers, more specifically ones from the Forest of Death.

I guess the current timeline of flashbacks would be Kakashi - Shika - Kiba.

It will take a while, since I'm still getting the story line set but after there will be time skips where she's older, something to look forward to!

And now we have the Rescue the Ame Trio mission operation.

Once again thank-you for reading, please review, and I'll try to update soon :D


	9. Phase one : complete

"Gahk!" Hanzo didn't know where he had gone wrong. Everything had been planned out perfectly. He had a hostage and within moments he would've have been the sole ruler of Amegakure. If only that blonde wretch hadn't appeared, literally out of nowhere, with her bastard of a fox, and begun to ruin his perfect scheme. Instead he had watched as the monster destroyed his personal army, though half of the men were Danzo's Root which war hawk had happily lent. He shouldn't have gone down so easily, Hanzo reasoned with himself. If only he hadn't fallen for her taunting and collected himself enough to form a counterattack, even a retreat would have been better.

He was Hanzo of the Salamander, who had beaten the three legendary Sannin and had named them thus, how could he have fallen at the hands of this weak girl? Thin yet muscled arms, a flexible wrist and delicate fingers, all currently stabbed through his chest and most importantly, his heart.

"Raiton – Raikiri." Miyu whispered as the man slumped over. She withdrew her hand, not even blinking at the slick sounds and chunks of flesh that came with it, before letting him fall onto the floor. Looking carefully, a good half his body had already been burnt beyond recognition with little chance of ever being used again, and his mask had cracked in several places. She grabbed the chain beside her and pulled until the sickle end came into view, noting that the blade had also been poisoned.

**''Kit, I'm going to have to refill my energy reserves''**She heard Kurama think somewhere in the distance,**''ll be having lunch right now, if you don't mind''**hat's fine, she replied, but leave the ones that are still alive. She heard him give the mental equivalent of a nod before stalking off.

"Now, back to business." She held the blade to the dead man's throat before cutting cleanly through it, only struggling when she hit the spine. Preforming the necessary procedure she sealed Hanzo's head into a scroll, scavenging any remaining equipment with a wry smile, before leaving to find her next targets. She found all three by the bottom of the cliff, oblivious to the whole fight which had just ended. "Good evening." Miyu greeted, appearing next to them in a swirl of leaves. Instantly the two males were on red alert, Yahiko jumping up to defend, while Nagato protected the unconscious Konan.

"Who are you?" the de facto leader asked while holding up a kunai.

"Miyu." The blonde answered truthfully. If they ever did find her while she was in Konoha... well she would deal with it then, "But putting the questions aside for now, I think you would want your teammate awake." She clapped her hand twice and released a pulse of chakra, "Kai."

"Ngh?" Konan stirred before pushing herself up and blinking sleepily.

"Konan!" Her teammates exhaled in relief, happy she hadn't been harmed.

"Now all three of you are awake I'd personally like to congratulate you on your new leadership." She said with a small smile. It would help a lot if they weren't as hostile towards her since she didn't know if she could continue to battle. That being said she deactivated her eyes which had slowly but surely been draining away the lasts of her energy. "So Konan-san, I hope you're feeling ok."

"...Yes." The blue haired woman gave Miyu a curious glance, as wary as her teammates but grateful nonetheless, "...thank you very much for saving all of us."

"Do you know her?" Yahiko asked, surprised she was being so 'friendly'.

"No, this is also my first time meeting her." The woman replied monotonously. The group lapsed into a tense silence.

"Not that we are ungrateful," Yahiko worded his sentence carefully, to not offend the possible ally or enemy, "But, why did you...help us?"

"Theirs is something I wanted to discuss with Amegakure's leaders, but seeing as it was in the midst of a civil war I had the pleasure of choosing which side I would help. Whether you accept or not, I would rather you three in power than Hanzo either way." The blonde answered.

"Then what was it you wanted to discuss?" Nagato inquired. He felt unusually calmed, but rationalized against the feeling. He would remain on guard for as long as she had a chance of being a threat.

"The possible alliance between Ame and Konoha." Miyu answered bluntly.

"What! Are you out of your mind?" Yahiko exclaimed, "Didn't you see? Half of that army was from Konoha. Hell, the reason Ame is so bad off is because the previous war we had with Konohagakure!"

"Maa maa, let's calm down," She put her hands up in defence, "Putting the war aside, Konoha never sided with Hanzo. Shimura Danzo did. And I was here to fix that wasn't I?"

"So then you're a Konoha kunoichi." Konan deduced.

"I am," The absence of a hitai-ate made it hard for her to seem truthful.

"How do we know this isn't some ploy to get Ame under Konoha's control?" The red-haired male questioned doubtfully.

"If that was what I wanted I would have allowed Hanzo's victory." She answered, "After all, I'm sure that was what Danzo was planning."

"Then how would it be any different if we agree." Yahiko responded with distaste.

"Do you enjoy undervaluing yourself?" Miyu asked with a frown, "I find it hard that you think so little of your own skills that you'll fall under any influence. You even have the added warning. If you don't want to do something, then don't. You're not as easy to manipulate as Hanzo, believe in yourself a little."

"..." Yahiko stayed silent for lack of anything to say, "You...you really have some high opinions of us." He commented after a hesitation.

"Of course." Miyu stated.

"I don't think an alliance would be such a bad thing." Konan decided tentatively, trying to explain her reasoning to her shocked teammates, "Well, it's almost certain Konoha will agree, judging by her confidence, and if we're allies we will not have to face each other. I've heard enough rumours of Konoha's Yellow Flash and of some clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha to know we will not win another confrontation." She explained. Konan dutifully left out the three Sannin who ruled a large part of their minds regardless.

"How do you know Konoha will agree to this?" Yahiko asked, turning his attention back to the blonde, "From what I gather we're the ones who will be proposing this alliance. I assume the Hokage has no idea of it?" Miyu nodded.

"You're correct, but I can be certain because Konoha has nothing to lose here. You are aware of the Third Shinobi War between Konohagakure and Iwagakure, right? " She waited for their nods before continuing, "Well during this time of need Konoha will want all the allies it can get."

"Why would we be foolish enough to ally with them in a war?" Nagato questioned, "Ame doesn't have enough shinobi to spare against the likes of Suna and Iwa."

"You won't need to worry about that," She clarified, "I will provide them."

"How?" Yahiko wondered how this girl could easily get at least a hundred ninja ready in time.

"We have at least half an army of decent, already trained ninja, up on that cliff," The blonde shrugged as if it was no big deal, "I can fix their loyalties as well, which means you'll be able to keep some Root members and I assure you they are as strong as ordinary Anbu."

"How are you going to 'fix' their loyalties?" Nagato asked sceptically.

"I can put a seal on their bodies or hypnotize them with the Sharingan. Either way works."

"Then how do we know you haven't hypnotized Konan?" he challenged.

"You don't." She said seriously, "I didn't have to go through the trouble of saving her either, but I thought you'd appreciate it." It was the truth since she couldn't afford to expend any unnecessary energy.

"We do, so thank you for that." Yahiko spoke sincerely before grabbing his friend's attention, "And look Nagato, she doesn't look like she's under any influence." They both took a long while to stare at the rather stoic girl.

"I'm fine." The bluenette reassured.

**''Kit, I'm done.''** The demon stood atop the cliff, looking down at the four humans, **''what now?''** Come down here and I'll introduce you. He nodded and the fox nimble scaled the cliff edge, landing next to the group, his already red fur glistening with blood.

"Wha- A fox?!" Yahiko stepped away from the feral looking animal.

"This is my partner Kurama." Miyu introduced, "Don't worry, he would never attack a comrade." The three Ame shinobi heard the hidden warning in her words.

"This alliance," Yahiko began after an apprehensive silence, "Could we have time to think it over?"

"Three days," Miyu gave, "That's how long it will take to convert these ninja's and that is also roughly how long I'll be able to stay." He thought it over before nodding rather reluctantly.

Miyu whistled a cheery tune, lazily holding a crimson umbrella over her shoulder, while her free hand threw and caught a hefty bag of ryo, received from hunting down and turning in several small bounties in her free time. Beside her Nagato walked silently, with his own matching umbrella deflecting the light droplets of rain. Kurama was silent as he padded beside them in his shrunken form. The rain never proved a problem for the furred beast as his fur naturally remained warm and dry.

"...Do you mind if I ask you why you helped us?" The man finally asked, the question bothering him since her first appearance.

"What do you mean? Didn't I tell you guys before?" The blonde skipped on the spot, turning to face him in the middle of the desolate street. "I want an alliance with Ame for Konoha."

"I understand that," The redhead replied, "But why? We don't particularly have anything to offer. In fact you're the one providing the majority of the shinobi forces we will employ.

What is your motive? Is there someone else you're working for?" He was troubled enough to show a deep frown which creased his otherwise young face.

"It's nothing as complex as that." Miyu waved off. She sent him a weary smile, and for the first time Nagato found something recognizable in her masked expression. "At one point it would have been my dream to unite the Elemental nations," She began wistfully, "No more wars, no massacres, genocides or manhunts."

"Then what changed?" He probed. It was a similar ideology the bound himself, Yahiko and Konan together.

"That was childish, don't you think? People are creatures of habit. We're greedy, prideful, all around sinful, and we're always getting into fights. We...can't help but hurt one another." Her companion nodded along thoughtfully, "I don't care, so much, for that anymore. Wars will continue to rage and good ninja will continue to die. As long as I can protect those precious to me I can be content. That is all I want."

"So?" His question remained unanswered.

"You may not believe it right now, but I count you three as one of my precious people," Miyu let out a smiled that lit up the dim surroundings.

"Why?" His brow lowered in concentration, "I don't believe any of us have ever met you before." He hadn't realised he had been watching her so intently until she twirled the umbrella in her hand, startling him with the spray of water. From there it was as if he had woken from a daze.

"Just a feeling then?" She answered vaguely, "Even though I said I'd be content with just being able to protect those dear to me, I do want to help others. Innocent lives shouldn't be lost, wars shouldn't even begin. I know with you three, that maybe a fourth war could be prevented." Nagato didn't comment on the fact that they were still in the midst of the Third Great Shinobi War. He let his mind linger on what had been said as they continued to walk back to the inn she currently stayed at.

"...You know," He began as his mind decided on an unrelated topic, "I've never heard of a blue-eyed Uchiha before..."

"So your answer?" Miyu asked, tilting her head to the side. These past few days they had been quite hospitable, providing adequate accommodation as well as a guide. Slowly but surely she had worked her way through Hanzo's leftover army, changing their allegiances to Ame's three new leaders. It wasn't that hard to convince them, after all with Hanzo dead what else could they do? The Root ninja's were a bit harder to work with. Their lack of emotions was hard for her to handle while manually taking off each of Danzo's seals took its toll. She was convinced they would follow Yahiko, Nagato and Konan simply because they didn't know how to do anything else.

"Here's a scroll with a request for an alliance," Yahiko tossed the document towards her which Kurama caught from his place on her shoulders. He was much less intimidating in his smaller form and apparently Konan was quite taken with him this way.

"Thanks, I promise you won't regret it." She nodded slightly in acknowledgement, "Konoha cherishes its allies, and if peace is what you're searching for, this is one step in the right direction."

"Yes, by helping in a war." He added rather sarcastically.

"It will end soon enough, probably within the next couple of months. You won't have to do much at all."

"I'll have to take your word for it." He eyed her sceptically but wouldn't argue. "Is it strange that sometimes I see you as an angel that fell from the sky to help us?" He chuckled faintly, "Though considering you destroyed an army and came along with a monster I should probably think of you as the angel of death." He shook his head to remove the ridiculous thought. "Nagato's a good judge of people, so if he believes you are somewhat trustworthy I'll have to as well. Konan doesn't seem to mind either, in fact she seems more at peace these days."

"I feel honoured." Miyu replied with a smile. It was nice to finally know what kind of guy Yahiko was and the same went for the two others who hadn't lost their friend. "If you ever come to Konoha I'll have to treat you to my famous stew, though you'll definitely be in store for a few surprises."

**''I'll enjoy hunting for you,''**Kurama purred drowsily. Miyu didn't blame him, knowing the reason for his tiredness, as she had him running all over Ame during their stay.

"Maybe I will, after I finish those." He pointed to the corner of the room where he had shoved stacks of growing papers. It looked like all leaders were doomed by the same curse.

"On a note of goodwill why don't I tell you a secret?" She leant in close to whisper into his ears. "Kagebushin."

Likewise when she met Sarutobi, disguised as an ambassador from Ame, she couldn't help but want to tell him the secret as well. And maybe she would... after he retired.

"So, Amegakure wishes for an alliance?" The Hokage asked, slightly astonished, as she handed him the scroll.

"Yes, we thought we could offer our help during the war. And better yet as comrades we would avoid conflict with each other." Miyu answered in the deep voice of a male.

"Hm." He read over it carefully, "I will think on it, but until then feel free to return to Ame. We will send our own envoy with the reply."

"Thank you." She bowed courteously before walking out the door. Now the next thing she would have to do is find her clone, which the fox should have tracked down by now.

**''Training ground 7 kit,''** he sent, right on time. Nodding to herself she meandered through the streets, slowly changing her disguise while in the crowd. First the headband became a similarly coloured bandana, then the flak jacket turned into a darker shaded vest, the pants were swapped for a coarser and cheaper pair and even her face changed to match her now civilian outlook. Stepping out she looked like an ordinary face you would never pay attention to. She dulled her presence and crept silently through the bushes near the appointed training ground. From her vantage point it looked like her clone was idly watching Minato train his students. Kurama was sitting beside her mindlessly scratching his ear with his hind leg. If only the other tailed beasts could see you now. She mocked, alerting him of her presence. He froze in response for a moment before giving a couple more satisfying scratches.

**''They would merely be jealous that I am, once again, free''** He waited until Team Minato was sufficiently distracted before nosing her clone over to the bushes. A small poof of smoke and a couple of hand seals later she was back in her original form, filtering through her newly gained memories.

"Did you know that apparently training with Gai begins tomorrow? He seemed to have finished his laps already..." Her eyebrow quirked up in amusement, "While doing at least half of them on his hands..."

**''Your clone already told me. The academy will also be starting in a couple of days. Sarutobi has graciously placed you in the graduating class, most likely to see where your skill levels truly lie.''**While he spoke Miyu nodded along. His words corresponded with her apparent memories.

"I'm excited." She admitted with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Miyu!" Minato called, "What are you doing over in the bushes?"

"Nothing!" Miyu answered, skipping back to the group in time to see his rather harsh training. She slowed as she neared seeing the blonde jounin standing with one foot on each student's back as they did push-ups. It was quite comical too see him rise and sink as his students worked.

"Sensei... can we stop now?" Rin huffed falling behind. Kakashi seemed to rise a bit too fast for her which meant she ended up with the brunt of her teacher's weight.

"I was waiting for you to ask. You finished the required number a while back." Kakashi groaned at the revelation, while Minato smirked uncharacteristically.

**''I never knew the blonde idiot to be such a sadist''** Kurama confessed with his partner nodding in agreement.

"I figured out a while back all senseis are somewhat strange." She muttered back.

"Would you like to join in?" The older jounin asked good-naturedly. Rin would have sent him an troubled look for suggesting such a thing, if only she weren't so tired.

"What should I do?" Miyu bounced on the balls of her feet, feeling strangely energized.

"Well, what can you do?" Minato cocked his head to the side in thought. "How about tree climbing?"

"I can do that." The younger girl answered confidently.

"Can you show us?" Kakashi pitched in, indicating to a moderately sized trunk. Miyu stared up and the tree, and began a slow run. She instantly felt something off when her left foot first touched the bark, letting out a soft sound she pressed onwards, and adjusted herself while she climbed. From where she sat on the branch and the team saw from the ground, her progress was obvious. This first footfall was too light, she seemed to have slipped, the second leaving a large dent in the broken bark, and then the rest slowly smoothing out as she regulated her chakra properly.

**''Horrendous,''** Kurama commented with a snort, **''your control's all over the place.''**Miyu ignored him and made the effort to walk down, this time the bark remained unmarred.

To her audience it was obvious that she had regained the feel of her own body.

"...Good job." Minato praised, "I just hope that doesn't happen every time." He looked over at the deepest indentation which went through a good half of the tree.

"I should be alright from now." She replied, shaking out her legs, "My chakra just surprised me."

"How so?" Kakashi asked.

"The amount seemed a bit off." Miyu remained unease at her lowered capacity.

"I guess it can't be helped." Minato shrugged, "I was planning on doing some chakra training later on. You should join us, it will definitely help."

**A/N Thanks for reading :D**

**To Ame and back! A brief trip in which important people were saved. You can bet the Ame trio will be coming into the story a lot later.**

**Forgot to put this in last time but, new Jutsu (Not really though...)**

**Name: Kagehenge (Shadow transformation)**

**Classification: Ninjutsu**

**Rank: C**

**Class: Supplementary**

**Range: -**

**Summary: A solid transformation which cannot be seen through. Naru created it by accident when using slightly different seals and too much chakra to perform a regular Henge.**

**The newly transformed body reflects the old one, and once released there may be side effects, appearance wise.**

**(It's really just because I think Naru's Henge is more unique. You know, like being solid. So I made it into a whole new technique. It doesn't require that much charka but as of the moment she is the only one who can perform it since she's the only one who knows the hand seals and so on.)**

**Did I ever mention how much I love my reviewers? Almost as much as Ein from Cowboy Bebop (Best corgi ever!) As always I'll try to update quickly but rest assured, it should never take longer than a week :D**


	10. Revelations

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

"Just how many people are going to fall victim to this stone?" Naru sighed running her hand through her hair. The long, blonde locks hung down to her waist, shifting slightly as a gentle wind blew through the area. She spared a painful glance at Konoha's ever famous memorial stone where more and more familiar names found themselves carved into.

"Naru-san." The sombre tone didn't belong in his voice and she wondered if she could beat it out of him. No, she reasoned with herself, if that's the case I'll be forced to incapacitate half of our forces, including myself.

"Sometimes I find myself wondering about the future," She said quietly, "A future which many of our comrades would never see. But no matter what, they went down fighting.

They gave their lives for us and so shouldn't we do our best to live?" She directed her pained gaze to the man who had cried endlessly for days when they had learnt of the most recent death, "But sometimes it's just so hard, you know?" She felt a few of her own tears slip down.

"He was such a good kid." Though his tears had stopped, she could hear the sorrow in his voice, as he continued to cry without them, "My disciple, he had such a bright future. His whole existence burned brightly." The man clutched a tattered red forehead protector in his bandaged fists. "No teacher should ever outlive his students. No... No father should ever have to outlive his child." She gave the man time to collect himself once more.

"Gai..." Naru trailed off. Of all the names carved into the stone his eyes would always be watching one in particular, 'Rock Lee'.

"I wonder if this is what Kakashi or Kurenai are feeling all the time?" He sighed and watched as clouds began to gather. It would rain soon.

"How's Neji doing?" She asked tentatively. The prodigy Hyuga was somewhat of a ticking time bomb at the moment, though no one could blame him...

"I'd like to say better than me, but I have no idea," Gai confessed, "Neither Tenten nor I have heard from him, though it looks like he's been frequenting the Forest of Death."

"That's not healthy at all." She growled in frustration. She knew she would have to drag him out of his stupor but didn't feel up to it at all. Maybe the best option would be to join him.

"And neither is standing here, day after day," A smooth voice drawled, "Though I'm not really one to speak." Naru felt a comforting arm wrap around her waist and automatically leaned into the new arrival.

"Kakashi..." it seemed Gai had fallen so far he would not even shout at his eternal rival.

"This war has gone on for too long," The silver haired male gritted out, "It's time it finally came to an end, even if I must personally wring the bastard's neck myself! I would gladly tear down every ninja in his army one by one if it meant this would all finally be over." It was unusual for the laidback man to promise such brutality but Naru couldn't help but feel more encouraged. There was despair, almost too much which threatened to suffocate them in their already restless sleeps, but his words kept a small flame of hope lit. No longer flickering or wavering, but burning brightly with the rediscovered resolve.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

The young blonde sat up in her bed, sighing as she ran her small fingers through her too-long hair. Miyu vaguely wondered if it was something about Konoha, like how nostalgic it felt and how dear to her heart the village was, that kept bringing back dreams of the past. The two nights spent in Ame offered nothing but darkness and rest. And, the blonde had yet to decide whether these dreams were good, or bad. This particular memory left her depressed but none the less motivated her towards her goal.

**''Morning''** Kurama yawned, jumping off the bed and landing soundlessly on the floor.

"Good morning." Miyu replied. She pushed some chakra into her resistance seals and instantly felt the change. She was on level five now and it felt like she was wading through water. In her previous life she had only managed to hit the sixty-seventh level and this time round she was determined to manage all ninety-nine. "So what's on today's agenda?"

**''You need to recover your chakra from the trip to Ame and continue to slowly condition your body,''** the fox advised, **''you'll start attending the Academy the day after tomorrow so until then reacquaint yourself with the villagers once more.''** It hurt that the last part was necessary, but she had to remember she was a stranger here.

"GOOD MORNING!" A loud voice shouted, practically shaking the whole apartment complex with its volume. It was followed by a series of short raps on the front door reminding her that today she would be truly begin 'slowly' condition her body back up to scratch.

"Dammit Gai!" Minato groaned as he stumbled out of bed to open the door, "Please keep it down." He for one, wasn't so pleased, about his precious charge joining the spandex teen in his extreme form of training. Though, the blond jounin couldn't really do anything but accept it. He really hoped every morning wasn't going to be like this.

"My apologies Minato-san! I was just excited." He shouted not the slightest bit quieter. Miyu heard a couple of muffled sounds and came down to find the energetic boy tied up and gagged. "Mmfmu!" how he still managed to sound loud and happy she didn't understand, but assuming he had just called her name she waved back.

"I'll be going now." She told her current guardian, dressed in a pair of loose black pants and an orange tank.

"Alright," He sighed, "Just remember not to overexert yourself." He could only watch with a strange feeling of fear as Miyu nodded in reply, already dragging Gai out of the door with a sleepy fox at her heels.

Gai honestly couldn't remember the last time he was so happy or excited. Maybe it had been when he first saw Kakashi walking down the street and felt some strange urge to best him, a bizarre need to compete with the genius Hatake? But now as he watched Konoha's newest resident run beside him he couldn't help but feel pleased. He knew his teammates, especially Ebisu, had told him time and time again that his training regime was not for the ordinary, or sane for that matter. He didn't really understand their concerns when he had told them of his new training partner, though as he watched her slightly flushed faced he couldn't help but mentally praise her. He knew it was very commendable for an eight year old girl to keep up, even if he had toned it down a bit due to Genma's worries. She didn't look the type to give up and as he had told her once before, her flames of youth shone exceptionally bright.

"Yosh! That's enough running for today!" He shouted after they had both finished several laps of the village. "Next let's get onto some simple exercises."

"H-Hai." Miyu panted. She glared at her fox which had leisurely spent the whole time on her shoulders, weighing her down. He didn't let up at all as she continued the work out.

Sitting on her back for push ups, standing on her chest while she did sit ups. Gai hadn't helped, believing it was just her adding her own youthful touch. By the time their first break rolled around she didn't even have the strength to move, instead kneeling collapsed on the ground, apologizing to her crying muscles.

"Are you alright Miyu-chan?" Gai asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm just a little tired." She answered, "Give me a sec, I'll be up in no time." True to her word it wasn't long before she was back on her feet. She'd have to thank her enormous stamina reserves for that, though it wouldn't be doing anything for her sore muscles. Her spandex-wearing friend was happy enough and quickly offered to spar. Miyu agreed, quickly taking up the offer, mostly so she would be able to finally find out how much her skills had degraded.

Miyu was completely, and utterly unprepared, when Minato let out a feminine high pitched scream as his charge walked through their front door. She was so startled by the sound and almost fell back, if not for Kurama giving her a supporting push from behind. She gave him a thankful look and he returned with a shrug. "What the hell happened to you?!"

He screamed distressed. The precious little girl had her hair matter with mud and leaved while her clothes were torn and dirtied. She also seemed to be soaked to the bone, even though he was absolutely sure there had been no rain, and when he looked closer it seemed the edges of her pants were singed.

"I was out training!" She chirped.

"I understand that but how did you get in this state?" He exclaimed. And was that blood on her clothes?!

"One thing led to another and... you know..." He definitely didn't like the hidden innuendo he picked up even though the sane part of his mind told his he was over analysing.

"I'll murder that kid!" Minato growled, strangely protective.

"What?! No, don't do that! Most of this happened after we trained anyway!" Miyu responded in alarm.

"Then what exactly happened?" He asked.

"Well," She'd tell him as much of the truth as she could manage, "I was playing around with different jutsu accidently burned my pants," She started, "So I went to the river to put it out but I slipped and fell into the mud. Than on the way home I stumbled on a stone and fell into a bush." Better let him believe she was accident prone since this would probably be a recurring experience. He calmed down from his frantic panic and could now see she didn't actually look hurt, just messy.

"And the blood?" Minato pressed.

"I tripped and fell?" It was plausible enough though her tone wasn't very convincing.

"Hm." He wasn't buying it but in the end she seemed fine, probably due to her healing factor. "You need to take better care of yourself," Minato told her in concern, "Be careful next time ok?

"Of course!" Miyu replied with a mock salute. He sighed again wondering why her personality seemed so familiar to him.

"So, what jutsu were you practising anyway?" He finally asked, curious of what kind of jutsus she had in her repertoire.

"Katon – Gokakyu." She replied a moment after. Minato was initially surprised, but nowadays it wasn't unusual for a young ninja to pick up a C-rank here or there. In fact, wasn't it a tradition among the Uchiha to pass along that specific fire technique?

"Any others you know of?" He asked. Miyu shrugged.

"Not really. That's why I was just going through familiar hand seals."

"Ah." Minato assumed the girl was relying on muscle memory to remember any of her previous skills.

**''Kit,''** Kurama's deep voice caught her attention and she turned to see him staring pointedly at the window.

"Is there something you need?" Minato asked. His questioning lingering in the silence. He never failed to notice how Miyu and her fox had already reacted.

"Hokage-sama requests your presence." A hidden Anbu replied, squatting on the windowsill. "Both of you." He elaborated.

"Got it." The Anbu stared for a few more seconds before jumping down and vanishing. "Well then," Minato turned his attention to the young girl, "Why don't we go see what the Hokage wants?

"Minato?!" A weary yet cheerful voice called out his name as they entered the office. Miyu looked to the speaker, a slender, young woman with crimson hair that hung significantly past her waist. Violet eyes caught her own, showing confusion and suspicion within them. "...Who?"

"Ah, I forgot that you wouldn't have met, seeing as you've been on a mission," The Hokage began, mumbling slightly to himself, "Kushina, this is Uzunami Miyu, Konoha's newest resident. And Miyu, this is Uzumaki Kushina, another tenant of Minato's apartment."

"It's nice to meet you." Miyu said with a polite bow. The fox beside her copied her movements catching the older woman's attention.

"A fox?" She questioned.

"Apparently he's Miyu's partner. Possibly like a ninken, we're not really sure." Minato, said.

"Apparently? How can you be unsure?" She continued.

"Well, Miyu is amnesiac," The Hokage stated, "Inoichi has confirmed it." Kushina looked as if she wanted to say more but he cleared his throat, indicating he wasn't finished.

"Anyway, there was another reason I called you here. Not just for introductions but we're still waiting on one more person."

"Hokage-sama?" A knock sounded at the door, announcing a new arrival.

"Ah, Fugaku. Come in." As the Hokage revealed his identity Minato seemed to grumble. Similarly when the Uchiha head entered and saw the others present he let out a small huff.

"Now before we begin I'd like to make the last introductions. Fugaku this is Uzunami Miyu, Miyu this man is Uchiha Fugaku."

"Nice to meet you." Miyu repeated for the second time that day, mimicking her earlier bow.

"Hn." The young girl twitched at the reply.

**''At least you now know where both his sons picked up the annoying habit from.''** Kurama commented.

"So this is the amnesiac kunoichi we've picked up?" He questioned rhetorically.

"Yes," Sarutobi answered, "And the reason I've called you all together is to discuss her, particularly her lineage." Miyu turned her attention to him warily and he handed the each of adults a compilation of papers.

"I would've thought her relations would be obvious." Fugaku grumbled, as he frowned at the rising jounin. Just looking at the two blondes, one couldn't doubt that they shared too many commonalities for it to just be a coincidence. He would even go out on a stretch, and by adding the Uzumaki into the equation, guess Miyu the by-product of the two lovers... though the ages seemed inconsistent.

"What is this?" Minato wondered, briefly begging to skim through it.

"The results of Miyu blood test." Sarutobi answered simply enough. The girl in question sucked in her breath while staring in shock. When did he get a hold of my blood?

**''Actually, when we arrived your clothes, or what was left of them were covered in it. then again it would not have been hard for them to take a sample while you were unconscious.''** Kurama admitted.

"Eh?" Kushina had flipped to the end, and gasped with unhidden surprise.

"What is it?" Minato asked curiously.

"The machine we ran her blood though is one that compares it to each person currently living in Konoha." The Hokage began, "With it, it's possible to see if two people are actually related. We can also break down the sample to find and matches with others. What you have there is her blood type, approximate age, general description and, apparent relations."

"What?!" Minato exclaimed, looking up from the page, his hands trembling, "You've got to be joking right?" His sky blue eyes shifted nervously between his leader and the girl beside him before landing back on the files he held. "This can't possibly be right!" Miyu would've been lying if she said that his denial didn't hurt, but technically he was right... since she hadn't been born yet.

**''It will be different than what you are expecting.''** To fox beside her noted, remaining calm and composed. She sent him a look of confusion. **''The jutsu we performed would have ordinarily killed the user. There are two reason why you were able to survive. One, being able to supply the sufficient amount of chakra, and two, your regenerative abilities. You arrived here near death because of the changes that had to be done to you. Sometimes the wrong things are changed and that causes the low success rate, and possibly shortened lifespan afterwards.''**

"...changes?" She echoed inaudibly. The fox nodded and continued to explain.

**''I told you before. Two of the same beings cannot exist at the same time. The jutsu therefore serves a second purpose. Other than just transporting the user back in time, it also has the precautions to alter their body down to a molecular level. Of course it cannot create anything that does not already exist, so it merely changes what is already there. Therefore you relation to the Namikaze and Uzumaki still exists.''** The question is though, to what extent. He licked his paws thoughtfully, and climbed onto her shoulders as if to get a better look.

"Are you sure this is correct?" Fugaku questioned. Since finding out the purpose of the gathering Miyu has almost forgotten him, although now she questioned his presence.

"Ano, can I ask what's going on?" She piped up, craning her neck to see inside the closest files which happened to be Minato's. Hey eyes skimmed past the irrelevant information until she found what she was searching for. !?...How did...Sasuke?...

"Well, Miyu," Sarutobi said gently, "It turns out that you have family within Konoha. In fact, the three in the room with you right now are related to you one way or another."

"I'm not quite sure how this is possible." Fugaku admitted.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kushina asked, "Clearly, before you married Mikoto, you had a short fling with another woman and conceived Miyu. And that woman was somehow related to both Minato and I, most likely our half-sibling." Her answer was logical and the only one which fit the ratio of the girls DNA. "Though, I don't like to think that one of my parents committed adultery."

"Ah..." Minato hadn't known his parents, in fact any family, at all. To suddenly find out he had a half-sister, who was likely to be dead, and a niece who was currently beside him... he was shocked, yet happy.

"Huh?!" Miyu gasped and flailed as her feet left the floor and she was swung up high, "Hey! Let me down!" Minato was blissfully unaware of her yelling as he threw the younger girl up and down.

**''I guess this was a good turn of events,''** the fox commented idly, feeling how happy his partner was, though she was reluctant to show it on her face.

"I can't believe I actually have a niece!" His smile was so joyful and carefree at that moment neither of the women or the Hokage felt like stopping him. Unlike them though,Fugaku had no such restrictions.

"Namikaze." His stern voice cut across the room and through the blond's laughter, "I ask that you put down my... daughter." Minato stopped mid twirl and reluctantly held her out for Fugaku to accept. The Uchiha was unprepared and awkwardly accepted the girl after the previous holder made no move to put her down. Soon after receiving her however, he released her, letting the girl stand on her own.

"Thank you." She mumbled softly.

"Hn." A soft chuckling sounded in the room, and they each turned to a stare at a smiling Hokage.

"Well then, I'm glad there aren't any problems here." Sarutobi brought up his hands and folded them under his chin. "Now then, the next matter to discuss is her living arrangements. Currently Miyu lives with Minato but seeing as you more closely related you may take her to the compound if you wish Fugaku."

"Huh? No way!" The blond jounin shouted indignantly. He glared at Fugaku as the man took the time to think it over. "But Kushina and I share an apartment so it's two against one, right?"

"I suppose that does even things out." The Hokage allowed, "Well then Miyu, I guess it's up to you to decide."

**A/N And that's it for this chapter.**

**The dream was kinda sad. Well I felt sad writing it. The order of them are pretty mixed up but you can bet that most of them will go on to exlpain a couple character deaths...(I wonder if you can pick up the subtle reference to another one in there...)Oooo...So I guess this was a pretty important chapter.**

**We get a bit of Gai, the introduction of Kushina and Fugaku's 'acceptance' (...or is it?)**

**For those that were wondering, the Uchiha blood originates all the way back from Sasuke's jutsu (Ketsueki Iten - Blood Transfer)...ahaha, it was literal...though at the time it was well below 5%.**

**Due to the time-travelling jutsu Miyu's DNA looks a bit like this... 25% Namikaze, 25% Uzumaki, and 50% Uchiha.**

**As always, thanks for reading :D**


	11. Introduction

Uchiha Fugaku was by no means a cold-hearted man like many others would suggest. He was the head of the esteemed Uchiha clan and so acted as such, but, he was also a family man. He had a loving and beautiful wife and a prodigious son he could be proud of and now apparently, a daughter as well. Then again something was definitely off. He knew for a fact, that she was definitely not his daughter. If anything she looked the exact replica of Namikaze. He didn't know what to think. Unless the results had been fabricated, what Uzumaki had suggested would have to be correct. Yet he had no recollection of any such event. Before Mikoto there had never been anyone else. However, if the papers spoke the truth, then she was 50% Uchiha. Half. It was enough to manifest the Sharingan.

Sighing he rubbed his temples, and entered his home. The Sharingan was a coveted kekkai genkai and also the pride of his clan. It could not be allowed for an outsider to attain it.

Then again she also held connections to some very important people. It would be wise for him to keep her close. He thought in place, listening to the soft, quick footsteps of his son approaching. "Welcome home, Chichi-ue." Itachi called, with a small, almost non-existent smile.

"Hn." Fugaku rested a hand on top of his son's head, "I hope you have behaved yourself." He felt the nod, and made a noise of approval. He turned in search of his wife who he later found humming in the kitchen as she cooked.

"Back already?" She asked surprised, "What did the Hokage want?"

"It had to do with the girl Minato brought back." The Uchiha head began.

"Oh? I saw her just this morning running around with Maito Gai." Mikoto remembered, "She's a cute little thing." Fugaku showed a fraction of a smile. Maybe this was a sign that his wife would welcome the new addition.

**''Kit.''** Miyu felt herself being nudged but stubbornly resisted. **''Kit, wake up already.''**

"Five more minutes..." She curled up further in her warm bed after feeling the chill of the morning air.

**''You know there is no point in trying to get back to sleep,''** Kurama drawled, **''you are just being lazy.''**

"I know," despite what she said she made no move to get out, "I didn't dream last night..."

**''Did you want to?''** Her companion asked.

"I miss them," She mumbled softly, "If dreams are the only way I can see them again then..."

**''You can still see them,''** the fox nudged her small body. He didn't like to see his former container look so weak. **''You have seen Kakashi nearly almost every day since our arrival.''**

"It's different. They're different." They were two different people. That was the only reason she could be around him, because to her, Kakashi Hatake had already died. Her ninja heart had steeled itself stopping any tears. "This Konoha isn't my Konoha." Her voice cracked and she wondered if she had finally broken.

**''They are different,''** Kurama agreed, **''but you still have a place here. You have carved yourself a place here, with your own power.''** He comforted her with a furry paw on her head. ''I think I may have rushed you into this, I have forgotten that humans need time.'' He let the girl lie there. Dawn was still a far while away so she needn't worry about the day yet. When the demon though back he couldn't remember her having mourned properly yet.

"Miyu?" Minato poked his head into her room, feeling something off, "Are you ok?"

"..." She didn't respond, adding to his worry.

"What's wrong?" He came to sit by the bed, Kurama not moving, but staring at him intently. Minato was at a loss. What happened to the cheerful kid he knew? Then again she had lost her all memories so maybe it was the panic and stress finally catching up to her. "There, there," he patted her back in a soothing manner, "It's ok, I'll be here for you." He said reassuringly. She remained completely silent but the irregular breathing told him she was still awake. Neither said anything for the next couple of hours. Not even noticing when violet eyes began watching them sadly.

"Are you ready for the Academy?" Minato asked, while flipping an omelette.

"Mmhmm." Miyu responded cheerfully, this morning's woes pushed to the back of her mind. She had changed out of her pyjamas and wore black pants with a long-sleeved, black top. Not a speck of orange on her.

"She's starting the Academy?" Kushina asked, walking to the dining table. She took a seat beside the girl and Minato handed her a plate with freshly cooked food.

"Yeah, looks like she's already learnt some of the basics so Hokaga-sama decided to let her attend." He answered.

"Hmm. How interesting." Kushina clapped her hands enthusiastically, "I can't wait to see how she does!"

"We're not really sure what she remembers but she has the academy jutsu down as well as the basics." The blond jounin explained, "Of course I'll help you with anything you need, Miyu-chan."

"Arigato, Minato...jisan? Jichan? Chan?" She puzzled her way through the possible honorifics, not noticing Kushina's snort of laughter.

"Isn't she the cutest?" Minato beamed towards his girlfriend before focusing his attention back onto the girl. "Feel free to call me anything you like...but Jisan makes me feel a bit old."

"Minato..." She decided, dropping the suffix completely.

"She's a sweet little thing." The red haired woman turned her attention to the younger girl, "How about me? You can call me neechan."

"Ah, alright Kushina-neechan." Miyu repeated endearingly. Kushina smiled happily in response.

**''What a happy looking scene.''** Kurama yipped while trying to get back to sleep on Miyu's shoulders. Kushina stared at the furred animal intently. It seemed so familiar, but maybe it was just the species."A fox huh..." Subconsciously her hand moved to rest on her stomach where her own tenant slept.

"So do you have anything to do today?" Minato asked, jolting the older woman from her daze.

"I have to check in with the old man but then I'm free for the next couple of days." She replied nonchalantly.

"You know, he is the Hokage so you shouldn't blatantly disrespect him." His brow furrowed in concentration, "I don't even know how you get away with half the stuff you say to him."

"I speak the truth. He's old and he knows it." She snorted and shrugged, "Plus he's cool that way and doesn't seem to mind as long as it's not in front of anyone important." Miyu found herself nodding along.

"I like Jiji!" She added.

"I like you." Kushina said, ruffling the girl's hair. Miyu's cheeks puffed out in irritation as she tried to fix the mess.

"Well at least you two get along," Minato sighed, "Come on Miyu, I'll walk you to the Academy."

**''Finally,''** the fox huffed, trailing along as the slow day started to pick up.

Waiting in front of the Academy, it didn't appear to have changed a bit. Just standing outside the gates Miyu could already hear the excited chatter of kids. Most parents stared at the blonde duo with open curiosity, their children doing the same. She had guessed by now that Minato was already some sort of village idol and she was a young girl who shared a striking resemblance. "Will you be ok?" He asked, crouching down to meet her eyes.

"I think so," She replied, "And if anything goes wrong I have Kurama with me." She patted the fox fondly.

"Alright, well I guess I'd better get going," He shifted on his feet, a look of concern crossing his face, "I'll be moving your stuff over to the Uchiha compound later on. You know how to get their right?"

"Hai." The girl nodded.

"Alright then, ah, feel free to contact me if you need something." He raised his hand and gave a small wave which she returned enthusiastically.

"Right, see you later!" Miyu skipped into the building with her faithful companion, leaving her uncle by himself.

"I feel kind of lonely," Minato said offhandedly, "Maybe I should give Kakashi and Rin unexpected morning training?" He whistled happily while his two remaining students were overcome with a sense of foreboding.

Meanwhile Miyu made her way to her classroom holding a slip of paper the Hokage had told her to give to Saito-san, the academy instructor that would be teaching her. She came to room 2-A and knocked on the door politely. "Huh?" A gruff voice called, "Come in." Miyu sild open the wooden doors but stayed back nervously. She hoped she would be able to make friends.

"Um..." The fox nudged her impatiently from behind and she stumbled into the room, "That wasn't nice Kurama!" She shouted angrily at the fox.

"Who are you little Miss?" asked a well-muscled man with cropped black hair and a chuunin vest. Miyu handed him the note and looked around the class nervously. Everyone looked about nine years old, but she was told that this was the graduating class.

**''The age limit was probably raised in our time because the war was over''** Kurama informed as he strode into the room, surprising most students. Taking a look at the students in the top row she almost did a double take. There was a familiar looking brunette sitting alone in one of the back rows, a recognizable scar stretching across the bridge of his nose.

"Well class," The chuunin said loudly, "We'll be getting a new student. This is Uchiha Miyu, your future comrade."

"Nice to meet you!" She greeted as whispers broke out. It was overall confusing, for the blonde Namikaze look alike, after arriving with said ninja, to turn out to be an Uchiha.

"I'm Takao Saito and I'll be your teacher," Saito introduced, "Does anyone have any questions."

"How old is she?" an Inuzuka asked from the front row without raising his hand. Miyu didn't doubt that she looked younger than her age.

"Age doesn't matter when you're a shinobi." Her teacher answered bluntly.

"What's up with the fox?" A girl with shoulder length black hair asked. The chuunin looked at her for an answer.

"This is Kurama." Miyu introduced, "He is my partner." She left it at that and everybody seemed to understand seeing as there was a similar situation with the Inuzuka.

"Are those whiskers?" Another girl asked while pointing at her cheek.

"They're... birthmarks." Miyu said uncomfortably.

"Are you sure he's an Uchiha?" A boy up the front questioned doubtfully.

"Yes. Alright! That's it for questions." Saito clapped loudly getting everyone's attention, "Sit wherever you want gaki." He said. Everyone watched her expectantly and were surprised to see her walk all the way up the rows to sit next to the lone boy.

"Hello. I'm Miyu" The short blonde introduced with a grin.

"I'm Umino Iruka." The brunette grinned back in a friendly manner. Iruka was such a cute kid. Miyu thought happily.

**''I heard he was a lot like you.''** Kurama voiced while sitting on the desk in front of her, **''you will probably have a lot in common.''** She smiled happily while watching the boy out of the corner of her eyes. He seemed to struggle to pay attention and she caught his glances each time he turned to look at her, much to his embarrassment. She thanked whatever god up there that there was less knowledge for her to remember. A good chunk of the history had yet to happen and she had grasped the theory a long time ago. Their teacher continued to talk about stealth and other similar topics while pacing in front of the room. Hours dragged by for her before he finally stopped.

"Alright brats," Takao announced with a brisk tone, "It's lunch so get your shit and get out of my classroom." Miyu personally found it funny that her teacher spoke so frankly, comparing him to the future Iruka.

**''Lunch... I'm going hunting.''** The fox stood and shook out his fur before abruptly jumping out the window.

"Whoa!" Iruka jumped in his chair as he felt the breeze and saw a red blur, "Where's he going?"

"Kurama's going to hunt for his lunch. Do you mind if I eat with you?" She pressed her fingers together in a marvelous impression of a certain shy Hyuga.

"Uh... no I don't. Do you want to go outside?" The blonde nodded and he led her to the base of a large tree, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

"So, what do you have for lunch?" Iruka asked pulling out his bento. In response Miyu pulled out her own orange wrapped bento. Taking off the lid both kids were surprised and the cutesy food lying neatly beside the rice. "Did your mum make that for you?" He wondered.

"...No, I think it was Minato." She answered truthfully.

"Ah." Iruka hadn't expected that of the famous ninja. "What's up with you two anyway?" He asked instead, "At first I thought you were his daughter, but then Saito-sensei introduced you as an Uchiha. I don't think I've ever seen a blonde and blue-eyed Uchiha." All this was said as he wolfed down his food with the speed only a growing boy could manage.

"I'm him niece." She answered easily enough.

"Hmm." Iruka nodded in acceptance, "What about being an Uchiha then? Can you do that eye-thing?"

"The Sharingan?" Miyu deciphered. She wondered if she should be able to do it or not. Theoretically, under the guise of her amnesia, she could pull out a lot of varying skills.

"Yeah, that one." The boy remembered.

"I'm sorry," She decided, "I'm not sure how."

"Oh well," He replied, only slightly disappointed, "How old are you anyway?"

"Eight." She responded.

"Really?" He squinted his eyes as he inspected her closely, "I thought for sure you were younger but in the end that's only a year less than the rest of us."

"So what have I missed out on?" Miyu began, "I mean, what have you guys learnt already?"

"Hm? Well Saito-sensei doesn't really care too much about theory and history," The brunette scratched his nose in embarrassment, "I don't mind since I'm not very good at those things... Anyway, we went through the Jutsu last week. You know which ones I'm talking about right?"

"Do you mean Bushin, Henge and Kawamiri?" He nodded showing she was correct.

"Yeah, those are the ones. We have our graduation coming up so you better learn them if you already haven't." Iruka advised, "Every couple of days we practise our sparing. We did that yesterday so you just missed out. Other than that there's not much else. Most of the times we go through mock situations in class."

"Mock situations?" the blonde prompted him further.

"Yeah," He tried to remember back a few days, "I think the most recent one was where you were a chuunin on delivery that got captured by the enemy."

"And what did you do?" Miyu asked curiously.

"Ahahah..." Iruka laughed nervously and mumbled out his answer, "...I said to struggle, fight back and try to escape."

"And how did Saito-sensei say you did?" The girl wondered.

"Ah, he said I'd be dead since they'd kill me for being too troublesome." Iruka mumbled unhappily, "Act complacent unless you know you can win the fight. Only an idiot would try to confront stronger shinobi while outnumbered." His voice deepened as he tried to mimic his teacher's idiosyncrasies, "Actually, struggle all you want. You brats are better off dead so you don't reveal any village secrets."

"Pfft." His impression of his teacher was horrible. Both kids broke out into childish laughter.

"You look like you're having fun Iruka." A voice sneered. Both children stopped laughing and Miyu turned to see who had interrupted them. Black hair, onyx eyes, and a cocky demeanour, it couldn't be anyone other than an Uchiha. She sighed and packed away her forgotten lunch.

"Go away Ichirou." Iruka glared back at the boy.

"Make me." He taunted. Miyu never liked bullies and instantly took a further disliking to the boy. "Who are you?" He asked rudely, turning his attention to the blonde.

"Isn't common courtesy to offer you own name first?" She shot back. He didn't react to the jab and instead announced himself proudly.

"I'm Ichirou Uchiha," He answered, "I'll ask again. Who the hell are you midget and what are you doing with the deadlast?"

"Midget? Miyu repeated twitching slightly.

"Just leave us alone, Ichirou." Iruka said tiredly.

"Why should I?" The boy scoffed, "I'm just here to make sure you know your place." He made a grab for the brunet but was intercepted as a small hand grasped his wrist.

"I'll ask you now to leave." Miyu said in a chilling tone. No one would ever harm a loved one in front of her. Not while she could help it.

"I'll leave when I want to." The Uchiha answered with a glare, snatching his arm back from the girl's surprisingly strong grip.

"...Trash." Miyu insulted him with a heated glare.

"What did you call me?" Ichirou growled angrily.

"Sorry, was I too quiet for you?" She growled back, closer to an animal's, "I said you're trash." Iruka was doing his best to stop her but his efforts were futile. The larger boy lunged for her and she smiled back wickedly. Slapping his outstretched arm away she swept his foot underneath him and sent the boy sprawling to the ground. Iruka watched on looking rather shocked. "Lunch will be over soon, we'd better get going." She said, shaking Iruka from his astonishment.

"Right." He agreed. He turned away slow enough to catch some movement in the corner of his eye from where the proud Uchiha had fallen. "Miyu!" Iruka suddenly exclaimed watching as Ichirou went for a sneak attack. Without turning the blonde stuck out a leg ad tripped the boy, again, and sending him tumbling.

"I'm not an idiot, Uchiha," She said in clipped tones, "Annoy me or Iruka again and I swear I will break at least one of your limbs." She left him in the dirt as she and Iruka walked back to the classroom. The rest of the day was spent finding out what she had missed in the curriculum and explaining some difficult parts of theory to Iruka.

Miyu walked leisurely out of the Academy, looking quite bored and whistling an annoyingly repetitive tune. Ku padded silently on her right, having returned from his hunting trip, keeping an eye out for any possible dangers.

**''How was lunch?'' **He asked pleasantly. She would have replied if a voice hadn't cut her off.

"That's her!" She widened her eyes as a distraction presented itself. Ichirou looking slightly beat up, was pointing her out to the two adults behind him. Both men had a strangely bored expression on their faces, one even yawning slightly.

**''It seems I missed out on quite a bit.''** The fox deduced. It was nothing important. Miyu answered truthfully.

"Can I help you?" Miyu put up her most innocent look, causing the guards to look at Ichirou sceptically.

"Um, are you sure?" asked the guard on the left, with long hair tied in a ponytail.

"Of course!" Ichirou stamped his feet like a child on a tantrum, which she supposed he was, "She's definitely the one who attacked me!"

"Sorry about this." Said the man on the left with short cropped hair, "But do you mind coming along with us?" Miyu shrugged and allowed them to lead her to the Uchiha compound. It was strange to see it so full of life and people. She made a mental note that she would also have to somehow prevent the Uchiha massacre. They led her inside and she was brought to a man she presumed was his father.

"Otou-san!" Ichirou began. Ah, so she was right.

"What is it?" The man looked slightly exasperated.

"Today at school that girl suddenly came up to me in a sneak attack and beat me up!" The child lied straight through his teeth.

"Excuse me?" Miyu asked, "I did nothing of the sort." Kurama snorted at the foolish bully.

"She's lying." Ichirou continued, "And she made it so I couldn't fight back by using her fox to threaten my classmates." His father rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"May I begin by asking who you are, Miss?" He turned his attention to the little girl. He wondered how a small girl like her could have beaten his son. Ichirou, even with all his faults, was the best fighter in his class.

"My name is Uchiha Miyu," She inclined her head politely, but after they heard her name, she instantly felt that the atmosphere in the room had shifted.

"Ah," The boy's father looked at her with something that could only be described as contempt, "Fugaku's bastard child?"

**A/N Thanks for reading.**

**You don't really have to focus on the OCs, they're there to make the story easier to write and usually won't have a major role.**

**As you can see I've made Fugaku a bit more 'accepting' and caring, after all from all the flashbacks I've seen, he really does love his family. (plus I figured things really began falling into hell after the Uchiha were accused of the Kyuubi attack)**

**Uh, we get to meet Saito-sensei (and random, fun to write character), as well as younger Iruka (he's probably going to become fairly different in the future.)**

**Miyu has adopted the Uchiha name (she's still kept the others don't worry), and she's moving into the compound. After all, I think Minato and Kushina would be more understanding, and from withing she can make the changes she wants~ AHHH, I hate ending chapters because I'll always remember something I've forgot to add...**

**Anyway, as always, I hope to see you in the next chapter.**


	12. Uchiha and ambitions

Miyu tensed as the man continued to look at her with disdain. It brought up bad memories. Kurama noticed her reaction, and lowered his stance, growling a soft warning. He caught the father's attention and was rewarded with a look of disgust. His growling increased as the man carelessly angered the demon.

"Can I ask you to repeat that?" Miyu asked, remaining politely.

"What? The fact you are Fugaku's daughter?" Ichirou looked at his father strangely, having never seen him behave this way before. "Or the fact that you are an unwanted bastard child?" The younger girl sighed heavily, in the end she had already expected something like this from the prideful clan.

**''Now, the question is where you would like to stand in their hierarchy,''** Kurama commented, **''at the moment I would not be so against a position at the top. If only to prevent fools like this one from acting so conceited.''** The fox mentally ranted about foolish humans while Miyu took the time to calm herself.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt to hear the truth?" The man commented offhandedly when she hadn't responded, "Finally it looks like Fugaku slipped up. Good, it will be easier to bring him down this way." He mumbled to himself. It should have been inaudible for humans, but the fox easily picked it up, and anything the animal heard was of course passed onto his partner. Maybe it would be easier to prevent the massacre than she thought.

"I'm sorry," She began, her tone even, "It was just that, from my knowledge, isn't the Sharingan well sought-after? I don't quite understand how I could be unwanted if I carried it in my blood."

"As if a mongrel like you could ever manifest it," The man stated, "It would have been better to kill you then let you tarnish the family name."

"I have been nothing but civil towards you so far, your threats and insults are unwarranted," Miyu grit out, beginning to lose her temper, "But if you're determined to continue I'll have to prove just how wrong you are."

"I'll speak to you however I want." He replied uncooperatively, "Its better you learn your place now if you hope to survive." He ended with an open-ended threat to her life.

Kurama growled with his hackles raised, they didn't have to take his hostility, but he didn't think a dead body would help ease Miyu into their clan.

"I think you're the one who needs to learn their place," Miyu snarled. This man rubbed her the wrong way and brought up memories she would rather forget. She felt the chakra in her body surge with her emotions and made no move to restrain them, even when her eyes were dyed red. Ichirou gaped with his mouth hanging wide open, his father choking in surprise. "I am Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki Miyu, I don't care if you accept me or not, but next the time you threaten or insult me will be the last." She turned abruptly, with a final glare over her shoulder, and left with her fox stalking behind her.

**''For a second I thought you might have become the instigator of another Uchiha Massacre,'' **Kurama commented offhandedly.

"Almost," She muttered, trying to calm down as she walked, "Are these the kind of people Sasuke grew up with?"

**''They are more similar to the Hyuga then they would like to admit.'' **The fox voiced her own opinions before she had a chance to. It seemed like it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine with the Uchiha. She brought a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, deactivating them, while trying to ease an oncoming headache.

**"Yip!"** Kurama barked out a warning but Miyu was too distracted, bumping into the unknown object.

"Ouch!" She winced and rubbed her backside which had fallen on the cruel unforgiving floor. Across from her was another child who looked a few years younger than her. Her gaze travelled upwards from the plain brown shorts and black t-shirt, decorated with the signature red and white fan. Slightly chubby cheeks from excess baby fat and short black hair framing his pale face, she would never forget those dark piercing eyes.

"Who are you?" The boy asked with a curious look. He had never seen such a sunny person before with golden hair and bright blue eyes except from Namikaze Minato. The unknown girl in the dark clothes had given him a certain look when she thought he wasn't watching. He didn't recognize it but, why did it seem so sad?

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Miyu said helping him up, "I'm Uchiha Miyu and this is my partner Kurama." The fox yipped a greeting.

**''Nice to see you again, chibitachi.''** The Uchiha would probably never hear the mocking words or tone.

"It's alright," He responded, "It was partly my fault as well. I'm Uchiha Itachi." His identity was confirmed. "I don't think I've ever seen you in the compound before."

"I'm moving in today. It's nice to meet you Itachi" Miyu smiled brightly at him and Itachi was broken out of his usual apathetic expression.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well." He wondered why she was moving in in the first place and had no trouble asking.

"I'm only half Uchiha." Miyu explained. He raised a brow in curiosity, "Actually, I came to the village a little while ago."

"Where were you before?" She shrugged in response.

"I can't remember." The two had long taken to sitting in the middle of the hallway as they spoke with Kurama settled in between them and was soon asleep as he dozed.

"You can't remember?" Itachi repeated.

"I have amnesia." She explained.

"So you can't remember anything at all?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Well I remembered my name, a couple jutsu, how to fight and Kurama." She listed them off her fingers.

"So then you're a ninja?" He seemed more interested now.

"Yeah, today was my first day at the Academy." She wished she had a camera to capture his expression. Stoic, chubby faced, and slightly excited.

"Can you show me a jutsu?" Itachi asked running his hands through the foxes surprisingly silky fur.

"Probably. What do you want to see?" Miyu offered. Her repertoire was currently restricted but she was sure she could do something that interested him.

"Bushin no jutsu." She didn't even blink before a small cloud of smoke appeared and her mirror image joined her.

"Like this?" They spoke in synch, watching Itachi tried to decide who to speak to.

"You didn't use any hand seals." He commented, turning to who he though was the original.

"I'm good with this jutsu." She went out on a limb and ruffled the boy's hair. To her joy he hadn't minded much. They spent the rest day talking aimlessly to each other something that two children should've been doing all along, instead of worrying about the raging war happening in Itachi's case, and the one that would come in Miyu's. She still wasn't good enough to fully open up the young Uchiha but an almost-smile every now and then was good enough for now. Kurama purred contentedly as he felt the Uchiha scratch a particular spot behind his ear.

"What do we have here Itachi?" A kind voice spoke over a calm silence as a woman walked towards them. Miyu recognized her and from the look in the woman's eyes, it went both ways.

"Haha-ue." Itachi called in monotone.

"It's nice to meet you." She greeted, "I am Mikoto, as you can see I'm also Itachi's mother."

"The pleasure's mine...Uchiha-sama," The name rolled uncomfortably off her tongue, "I'm Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki Miyu and this is my partner Kurama." The fox, after roused from his slumber, yipped a small greeting.

"There's no need to address me like that," Mikoto said, "After all..." She caught herself and gave the girl a wry smile, "But really, your name seems like a mouthful."

"It is." Itachi watched the interaction, greatly interested. There was something he was missing.

"Well, it's getting late," His mother said watching the setting sun, "We should probably go in for dinner."

"Will you be staying for dinner?" Itachi asked inquisitively. Yet again the two women shared a look.

"As long as I'm not intruding." Miyu finally replied.

"Of course not." Mikoto reassured. The Uchiha matriarch led the way into compound, passing by several other residential houses to reach her own.

**''How nostalgic.''** Kurama commented, reading his partner's thoughts.

"Come on in then," Mikoto waved invitingly, "Fugaku's been waiting." Miyu nodded and walked forward with the fox flanking her. Itachi, slightly confused trailed behind the girl, and together they came across his father sitting at the dining table.

"How would you like me to address you?" Was the first thing said in the room. Miyu finished speaking and looked up at the Uchiha head, anticipating his answer.

"... However you call Namikaze would be fine." He decided before turning towards his son. "Itachi, there's something important I have to tell you."

"Yes, Chichi-ue?" The boy was feeling apprehensive at the slight tension in the air.

"The girl beside you is Uchiha Miyu, She'll be staying with us from now on," Itachi nodded in understanding but what was said next astounded him, "She is also your half-sister."

\- - - - - _Dream _\- - - - -

"Ne, Kakashi," began a rather gorgeous blonde with eyes that mirrored the ocean's depths. It was hard to believe the incredible cute child of his beloved sensei had grown into the powerful woman that sat on the bench beside him, swinging her long legs back and forth. She wore the ever familiar uniform of Konoha's black ops, honouring her final day before retirement.

"Hm, what is it?" He looked up from a battered orange book, personally signed by the author who had promised a sequel that would never come.

"Did you ever find yourself missing Anbu?" She asked fiddling with the custom made fox mask.

"All too often." He answered deciding the conversation was probably worth putting his book down. "It's too easy to leave yourself on autopilot there. Almost addictive in the way you merely have follow orders and the fact missions sometimes get so hard you have no time to think about anything else."

"So that's why we're discharged?" Naru assumed, "Because Anbu is addictive and will turn you into a machine?" He nodded.

"I can't speak for other villages but Konoha like ninja with personality." He explained.

"Like Gai." She stated.

"Yes, like Gai and like you." He expanded, "Like the lazy Nara and wilful Yamanaka, the jovial Akamichi and the fierce Inuzuka, the prideful Hyuga, calculative Aburame, or our confident shinobi and temperamental kunoichi." That earned him a rather hard punch to his arm. "And of course our drunken Hokage."

"And a perverted Hatake." She grumbled. An unexpected thought popped into her head. "And the Uchiha?" She wondered. The two took a while to think of the rather emotionless clan.

"Well, they were arrogant." Kakashi shrugged. They shared a look before bursting out in hysterics, or chuckles in his case. It was the strangest thing since it wasn't even that funny. Yet here they were in near unstoppable laughter and gaining questioning and disturbed looks from people around them. Maybe it was a good thing Tsunade had relieved Naru from her duties. And, as sudden as it came, they stopped.

"I can understand wanting to stay there." Naru said picking up the conversation, "It's so much easier."

"It is," Kakashi agreed. Another long silence stretched out and in that time he had abandoned his book in favour of her hand. Smaller and thinner than his own, Kakashi entwined their fingers together.

"I feel like a drug addict going into withdrawal." She said with a sigh.

"That won't do at all." Kakashi admonished, "I heard the reason why Tsunade pulled you out earlier than usual is because she's planning something big."

"Big?" She echoed curiously.

"Mmhm." He looked off nonchalantly into the distance.

"Well what is it?" She was all too familiar with his games and just wanted the answer straight out.

"Sorry, can't say." He made a motion of zipping his mouth. "Classified."

"I'm pretty sure I'm ranked high enough to know." He shook his head. How much higher than Anbu captain could she get? "Dammit Hatake! Why even get me curious if you weren't going to answer?" She pouted at him, and while it wasn't as cute after he had seen literally her rip out a man's heart while he was still breathing, it did look incredibly sexy. And he would have captured those same lips too if it wasn't for his second remaining student to pop up.

"Naru!" Her loud voice, combined with the elemental of surprise, was enough to cause the blonde to jump.

"Sakura!" Naru exclaimed, after landing herself on Kakashi's lap, "What's up?"

"Hope I'm not interrupting." The medic sang. Kakashi gave her a look that told her she definitely was, not that she cared. "But Tsunade-sama requests your presence."

"Huh? What does Baa-chan want?" She reluctantly detached herself from her former sensei and dusted non-existent dust off her pants. "I guess I'll get going then..." She shot Kakashi a wistful look but he just waved her off.

"Don't worry about me and get going. I'll probably be dropping by your apartment tonight anyway." He gave a mischievous wink with his sole uncovered eye and Naru vaguely wondered if that counted as blinking.

"Alright then, I'll see you later." She leaned in and in a practised motion pulled down his mask to place a chaste kiss. Sakura looked at the cute couple from her peripheral vision but quickly got bored as the kiss seemed to deepen and Naru had moved back to straddling the Hatake. She cleared her throat loudly and finally the two lovebirds stopped, both looking slightly messed up. "Right. Baa-chan." Naru remembered. She waved to them both and shunshined into the office, only to get a face full of rainbow streamers and glittery confetti.

"Congratulations!" Shouted her closest friends, who had all been gathered into the room.

"Wha-" She was stunned and it was definitely because of the barrage of bright colours.

"Congratulations gaki," Naru pinpointed Tsunade's voice and turned to face the desk where a large banner stretched across the back wall. The busty blonde pulled out special stamp and slammed it right on the girl's unsuspecting forehead.

"Gah!" She stumbled back at the sheer force and was caught by a smiling Neji. "What the hell was that for, and what is all of this?" She finally asked.

"Here you go." Ino passed her a small pocket mirror so she could clearly see the red-inked words. Naru was torn between cheering and crying, out of joy of course, so she settled for both.

"Yatta!" She pulled the closest person into a tight hug and was soon suffocating Hinata, "I did it! I did it!" Someone managed to tear the poor girl out of her grasp but at the sacrifice of Shino. "Shino! Do you see it?!" She pointed to the red words and he nodded. Who couldn't see it when it was placed in such an obvious area? "Isn't wonderful?!" She was bursting with joy and decided it needed to be shared around. First by giving Shino a dizzyingly kiss, before he was 'saved' and replaced with Hinata once again. Of course that didn't stop her but Hinata did faint, and really no one was safe from an irrational Naru. Kakashi and Sakura chose that moment to coolly walk through the door.

"Should I be jealous?" He asked giving questioning stares around the room. No one replied and the sunny blonde bound up to him, showing off the mark of honour. She then jumped him and Kakashi decided the answer was no.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

Miyu jolted awake in an unfamiliar, traditional-styled room. Where had such a cheerful memory popped out from? If she remembered right that was when Tsunade had declared her as a Hokage candidate, the only candidate, and therefore the one who would succeed her. Miyu stared at the ceiling as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Hokage? No, she didn't need that. The title wouldn't help her. No, she didn't need it. Power. That was what she was striving for. She closed her eyes again. That's right, power... Kurama watched her from behind his tail, his red eyes shining bright as she fell back into a dreamless sleep.

"Miyu!" Iruka greeted her and waved her over to the back. "You look beat." He commented when she sat beside him.

"I was training." Miyu answered. She didn't know how he had found out about her change in living arrangements so soon, but Gai had showed up on the Uchiha's doorstep shouting in his usual voice. Thankfully, most people were already up and about.

"Training?" Iruka repeated, "Do you do this every morning?"

"Yeah." She nodded, "Maybe you should join us. I usually spend my mornings with Gai."

"Maito Gai?" Iruka paled slightly, "I'm fine. But I think I will start training myself a bit more."

"Whatever works best for you." She said with a shrug. The rest day was spent in much the same way as her first. A brief lesson, lunch, some demonstrations, and then the ending signal.

"Well I'm out brats!" Saito-sensei declared, finishing his class, "Go home and leave me alone." He left the room and his students began to pack up and leave. Several of them pointed to the new student and Iruka whispering all the while.

"Finally!" The brunette quickly packed away his belongings before stretching out his arms, "I didn't think I was going to last another second."

"Same here." Miyu agreed. Kurama had taken to 'hunting' while she was at school, leaving her rather bored. She didn't want to disrupt Iruka's learning, not that he was focusing much anyway, and ended up doodling on a scrap piece of paper.

"Is that all you did?" Iruka asked seeing her artistic masterpiece. It was such a strange picture but was fairly well drawn. "Why a toad?" He thought girls hated those animals,

"With a jacket and pipe?"

"Just felt like it I guess," She shrugged and began scrunching it up only for an arm to stop her. She gave the offender a questioning look.

"Can I keep it?" Iruka asked embarrassed, "I thought it looked pretty good and..." He trailed off mumbling.

"What'd you say? You gotta speak up Iruka." Miyu replied straining her ears. Something about his mum?

"My mum wants me to bring proof whenever I get a friend..." his face was an interesting shade of red.

"Alright then, I guess that's alright." She handed over the wanted paper slightly surprised, "You must have a lot of random items at home."

"Aha...hah...Actually, this'll be this first one." He muttered the last bit too quietly for her to hear. "So," He said louder, "I guess I'll see you again tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"So how was your day?" Minato asked when she appeared at training ground 7, "And where did Kurama go?"

"It was fun," she answered, "And he's been spending the day hunting."

"Ah... So, did you make any friends?" He questioned.

"Yep. I made one really good one." Miyu smiled beside him.

"Really," He was relieved she wouldn't be all alone in the Academy, "Who was it?" His mind was already sorting through all the children he had seen which could have been a possibility.

"Iruka!" Her smile widened as she grinned back at him after stopping a few steps ahead.

"Umino Iruka?" He echoed, "As in the prankster?"

"Mmhm." She nodded, confirming the fact.

"And you didn't make any other friends?" He pressed.

"Nope." She popped the 'p' at the end of the word.

"So you made only friends with a troublemaker? Couldn't you have found some better, 'female' company?" He put emphasis on the gender, but didn't want to be too pushy.

"Iruka's great company. He's fun to hang out with." She pouted at him not approving.

"Well I've met his parents and their both respectable ninja." Minato responded, "Can you promise me that you'll make at least one more friend?"

"Okay, I'll try." Miyu nodded, though she didn't really want to get too close with the other kids in her class.

"Good." He glanced over to where Kakashi and Rin were both sparing horizontally on tree trunks. "And how was your first night in the Uchiha compound?" He asked a bit more carefully.

"It was alright." Miyu answered, "Mikoto is nice and a great cook, Itachi doesn't seem to mind me too much and Fugaku has been accepting."

"Hm. Well if you ever want to come back there is always a place for you in the apartment." Minato clapped his hand and the both jumped down panting slightly. Rin looked exhausted but Kakashi was a bit better off, most likely the winning side of their mock fight. "Take a break." Minato gave, both students looking rather thankful.

"Hi there Miyu." Rin greeted with a wave, Kakashi merely giving her a nod of acknowledgement.

"Training hard?" The little girl asked.

"Yeah." Rin replied, "It's been a bit tough these past few days. Anyways, how was the Academy?"

"It was fun. I really like Saito-sensei." Miyu answered cutely.

"I heard he was quite an unorthodox teacher...but a good one nonetheless." Kakashi added. "What did he teach you?"

"A bit about stealth and the uses of a good henge. Then he showed us the hand signs."

"Henge, huh?" Rin pondered over the thought, "Don't you already know it?" the blonde girl nodded in confirmation. "Can we see it?"

"Ok." She shrugged and there was a small 'poof' as a cloud of pink smoke obscured her.

"Kushina? What are you doing here?" Minato asked when he turned to look back at his students after spending a moment away.

"Uh, sensei, that's not Kushina-san." His female student told him, "Miyu was showing us her henge."

"Really?!" he was genuinely surprised, "I know Kushina down to the exact length of each individual, and beautiful, strand of hair. That definitely looks like her to me."

"Always a flatterer." An amused voice said as said woman walked into the clearing. She stopped next to the henged Miyu and gave her a once over. "Damn, I'm hot." She commented.

"Should I repeat my question?" Minato asked.

"Nah, I heard you when I was coming over." His girlfriend replied, "It's nothing important. I just decided to drop by." Miyu release her henge, deciding that it was too confusing with two Kushinas standing there.

"You must be really good." Kakashi praised. Rin was surprised at his compliment but agreed wholeheartedly.

"I know, I couldn't even tell the difference."

"Not in that way," Kakashi clarified, "Didn't you notice she didn't use hand signs?" Rin thought back. Now he said it she had only seen the girl nod before transforming. None of her fingers even twitched.

"She must have fairly good chakra control then." The medic deduced. Miyu stood completely unaware of the conversation due to the fox chatting with her mentally.

**''So I decided to scout around some more today,''** Kurama informed her from wherever he was in the village, **''there are a lot more ninjas patrolling the area and the guard is tight.'' Honestly, I'm not surprised, she responded. Did you find anything of interest? ''A couple, it looks like the snake Sannin is still in the village.''**

"Orochimaru." She growled almost inaudibly under her breath.

**''Yes, with his little apprentice too.''** Anko? She asked.** ''Yes, her. Orochimaru, he smelt like rotting corpses but outwardly his façade is nothing but respectful.'' **If I remember correctly he would have already started his human experiments. Hopefully we'll be able to save some less fortunate people from that fate.

"Miyu?" the girl visibly started, jolted out of the conversation she was a bit too immersed in. Minato watched her in concern with Kushina sharing the same expression next to him.

"Are you alright?" He continued.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." It looked like Kakashi and Rin had gone back to training, practising some simple water jutsus she could identify.

"Would you like to try it?" Minato asked after following her gaze.

"Can I?" Miyu bounced on the balls of her feet eagerly. This was the perfect chance to 'widen' her ninjutsu arsenal without any questioning.

"Of course." Kushina followed up, "What would you like to learn?"

"What about Mizurappa?" Minato suggested, "It's a pretty basic technique."

"Alright." Kushina agreed, "Well since you apparently have great chakra control this shouldn't be too hard." Miyu agreed it would be easily, but for an entirely different reason.

Where did she hear I had great control from? She wondered slightly confused. It didn't help that Kurama had picked up on her more recent thoughts and was snickering in the background. "Well Minato," Kushina shoved her boyfriend over to Kakashi and Rin, "Over there are your students so I'll leave you alone to attend to them. Meanwhile I'll be teaching Miyu the basics of the basics." She ushered Miyu to a more reclusive area before getting down to the 'basics'

**A/N Thanks for reading~**

**And thus her Sharingan was revealed (not the Mangekyo).**

**I decided that since there probably wouldn't be much Kaka/Naru for a while (they're too young and don't have a reason to see each other much!) I'll try adding him in more flashbacks.**

**Also getting a feel for slightly (very slightly) power hungry Miyu. This will probably play a pretty big role later on...**

**I actually find it incredibly hard to show character relationships building. So I hope you can all just assume, due to time spent together (most of which would probably be absent from the story) that they've grown a bit closer. A good example of this would be Gai (seeing as they do train together each morning) and now Kushina as well.**

**Anyway I'm planning for a timeskip in the next chapter and the beginning of her genin days.**

**For those who were curious, it's currently late October at the moment, a bit more than two weeks after she arrived (which was on her birthday, October 10)**

**See you in the next chapter :D**


	13. The new team 7

"Welcome back." Itachi greeted, much to her surprise, as she dragged herself into the compound.

"Thanks." Miyu ruffled his hair with a smile.

"You look tired," He commented, "And Chichi-ue wants to see you."

"Ah..." Miyu nodded and made a beeline for the lounge. Fugaku was sitting comfortably, reading over some scrolls, possibly written by his subordinates.

"Sit." He motioned to the chair across from him and she settled down. "I heard something interesting yesterday," he began, "You have managed to manifest the Sharingan."

"So it seems." The blonde replied, schooling her expressions.

"Show me." It was a brisk order and she complied. She didn't miss how his breath caught or how his expression changed as it was revealed, "Three tomoes... how much do you know about your eyes?" Fugaku chose to ask after a moment of silence.

"The Sharingan is a kekkai genkai, a dojutsu which in known to appear in the Uchiha clan," Miyu detailed, "It allows the user to see chakra flow and also gives colour to it. That, allows us to differentiate between them and also see if a person is under the influence of a genjutsu. It also gives the user increased clarity of perception. Seeing and reading subtle actions, tracking fast movements, predicting future moves. It can help copy almost any technique I witness, as long as my body has the necessary requirements to preform them, and finally it also has specific hypnotic abilities." She checked off everything she knew.

"That's correct," Fugaku noted with an approving nod, "It seems you know more than I expect."

"I did some research." She replied, not completely untruthful.

"Hn." He sat there contemplatively. Her possession of the Sharingan changed many things. "If you ever need help training them I will be available." Fugaku intoned, "As part of the clan you are granted access to the clan's scrolls. Before there would have been nothing notable for you but we do have some scrolls on the Sharingan if you wish to pursue knowledge."

"Thank you." Miyu was slightly shocked at his hospitality.

"I'm confident you will be able to handle yourself." He continued, "After all you are an Uchiha."

The week flew by fast. Early mornings with Gai, attending the Academy with Iruka, afternoons with Minato and his team, training with Kushina, and then dinner at the compound before she went to bed, woke up, and repeated it again. No dreaming of past memories, only worrying about the impending doom. She merely trained and trained, trying to get her fragile body into a somewhat reliable state.

"Have a nice day Miyu-chan." An Uchiha named Kazuo stated with a small smile. Beside him was his mostly silent partner. She remembered them as the men who had flanked Ichirou, though it seemed Fugaku had appointed them to escort her instead.

"Hai, I'll see you later then Kazuo-san, you too Jun-san." The shorter haired Jun gave a slight nod before they walked back to the compound. It was a simple job but otherwise created the desired effect. Some other parents and students that had arrived noticed this and took it as a sign she had been properly inducted into the clan.

''It is effective,'' Kurama commented, choosing to follow her to school today.

"Come one gaki, get in class." Her sensei arrived behind her and dragged the girl in with him. He didn't stop even when he entered their classroom. "We'll be sparring today!" He called out. As soon as they had heard her classmates filed out, apparently used to his behaviour. Needless to say, after several rounds a sparing and a brief amount of time spent on target practice, Miyu could happily say that while her skills had degraded, she was still better than a class of academy students.

"Hey Miyu, what are you doing?" the brunet she was with looked over her shoulder and focused his attention on the book she held.

"Reading." She replied distractedly.

"I know that...we are in the library after all." Iruka commented sarcastically, "I meant what you're reading." At the moment anything was more interesting than practising hand seals like the girl had suggested.

"...Sealing." Her response was hesitant.

"Sealing? Like how to make explosive tags and stuff?" Her friend remembered back to a particular class.

"Yes. Seals can be very useful and I want to master them." The blonde admitted.

"Really? What can you do with them?"

"What can't you do with them?" A passionate light lit up in her eyes as she put her book down.

''Careful there.'' Kurama warned.

"You can store practically anything which makes it convenient, practical and deadly." Miyu began, "Dead or alive, tangible or not. Hidden weapons, weightless luggage, bottomless pockets, anything. Even Minato's signature jutsu relies heavily on the use of seals."

"Really?...They sounds super useful." Iruka pondered over the thought, "Do you think I could learn to make them?" He asked. After all, if seals were easy there would be more seal masters available.

"Sure, anyone could if they work hard enough," Miyu shrugged, "You just need to be patient and read a lot."

"I don't mind reading." The boy replied. She wondered if she should push him down this path. Seals were a finicky thing and not many knew how to use them. Maybe she would add another to the ranks. From what she had learnt during the first couple of days Iruka did try his hardest in class, it was just he stumbled once in a while and no one was there to correct him as he learnt something wrong, though she'd have to give it to him, when he did learn something wrong he'd learn it well. He was a bit slower on some topics and as Saito-sensei moved on he tried to as well, struggling on the next topic since the first went unfinished. She had found out that just a little input from her now and then helped him go miles. It was if the last piece of a puzzle slid into place in his mind and all of a sudden everything made sense. It was also a plus that he had nice handwriting.

"I'll go find you a beginners book to take home and read," Miyu offered, standing from her seat, "If you have any questions I'll be glad to help."

"That would be awesome." He said sincerely with an award winning grin, "Thanks."

2 Months later - Team Assignment Day

"Great job today!" Gai complimented though the small girl beside him was practically lying on the ground due to exhaustion.

"Hah...thanks..." Miyu panted, perfectly content to stay there until she caught her breath. She still didn't get how the spandex-wearing teen could train so much. Though it only took a moment for her own body to recover and jog back to the compound, parting ways with Gai somewhere in the short journey.

"Welcome back." Itachi greeted, already up as usual. He held Kurama in his arms and together they both made a cute picture, looking slightly rumpled from sleep.

''Welcome back kit.'' The fox yawned a small greeting with his eyes still closed. Miyu patted both their heads fondly before leading them back inside.

"Come have some breakfast you three." Mikoto called from the kitchen. She had already set the table including a bowl on the floor for Kurama. Fugaku was absent, but Miyu had seen him this morning before he left for his rounds. So far she hadn't done anything to displease him, in fact she was something he would be able to take pride in. "To think you'd become Rookie of the Year!" The woman let out a blissful sigh, "I know he doesn't comment but I think Fugaku's delighted." The blonde though that 'delighted' might have been stretching it but...she wouldn't argue with whatever made the woman happy.

"Itadakimasu." The two children called before digging into their food. Itachi finished first. It was surprising that he could eat so fast while still retaining all his table manners. Once done he hurried to find a hair tie before coming back to the table. It was a strange routine that had developed where the young Uchiha would help tie up her hair. It began maybe a month or so back, where she had opted to chop off her overgrown locks instead of tying it up each day. She would have done it to, had Mikoto not stopped her.

Apparently it was, in the woman's words, 'such a waste...' so she had dutifully ordered, for lack of a better word, her son to help his 'onee-san'. Itachi hadn't mind, and he was strangely proficient at braiding it for her. These days she was beginning to think he found it slightly enjoyable. His fingers were quick and deft as they ran through her hair. There's was never any pain besides the slight tugs when he caught a knot.

"Thanks." She praised the boy once he had finished, ruffling his hair much to his discontent.

"It was nothing." He sidestepped out of her reach, and went to go help his mother.

''Are you ready to go?'' Miyu looked down to see Kurama nudging one of her legs. In the foxes mouth was a hitai-ate, a leaf carved onto the steel which was sewn onto longerthan-average black material.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The girl bent down to pick up the headband, tying it securely around her neck.

She barely made it in on time, climbing through the window with the fox draped around her shoulders just as Saito-sensei walked in through the door. He gave her a strange look but otherwise disregarded her ruffled appearance. Iruka cheerfully waved her over to her usual seat next to him at the back of the class, startled by her new hair, just like everyone else. "Morning." She sighed flopping down. He bristled in excitement but didn't dare speak when their teacher glared at the two.

"Alright brats, it's nice to see you all have you headbands on." Saito said gruffly, "I'd like to personally welcome you to the ninja world, congratulations." He paused as the passing class cheered. "You might be happy now but keep in mind that we're in a war people, so welcome to the harsh reality of ninja life!" The cheering quietened down and was replaced with nervous glances, "From now we will be appointing you to teams of three, two students and a jounin sensei." He seemed to have caught Miyu's attention with the unusual grouping, "Usually it would be teams of four with three students but while we are in this war the number has been cut down to quickly make more efficient teams. A smaller size is exactly what we need at the moment. It'll make it easier to move around when on a mission. We will be pairing you brats according to your performance in the graduation exam.

Remember whoever you're paired with should be around your skill level."

"This war must be quite bad," Miyu sighed softly.

''Of course it is, but it'll be ending anytime now...'' The fox reassured as Saito began the team announcements.

"Team 1 will be Uchiha Ichirou..." Miyu instantly tuned out as the boy gloated about being on team number one.

''It looks like they're avoiding teams which have two girls, smart choice. Oh? You're Team 7, like always... it'll be a fun team... What team?'' She thought having missed her name while looking out the window. 'I didn't hear it at all. ''You'll just have to wait and see, the fox sniffed haughtily, hopefully this will teach you to be more attentive.''

"Baka-fox," She muttered. She probably could've asked Iruka but he looked busy, scribbling into a worn notebook. She had seen the insides before and frankly she was amazed.

Everything he hadn't understood had been broken down and analysed completely, and while for academy notes it might not have been big, when done with jutsus, they could be simplified for pretty much anyone to learn. Saito had left after the announcements, so it was no good trying to find him either. She just hoped her sensei wouldn't be three hours late.

"Team 1?" A lazy voice called. Miyu almost did a double take seeing the lazy strategist walk in but calmed herself as she noticed who it really was, "I'm Nara Shikaku, you're jounin sensei, follow me." He had some bandages across the right of his face so she assumed he was absent from the frontlines due to injury. After an unknown jounin came for team two Shikaku's usual teammates also came to pick up a team. The fact the Inoichi was a man and Choza had bright red hair meant she didn't confuse them with their future children.

"Team 5." Said another unknown ninja, picking up her students. As she left there was some gloomy footsteps as the next ninja walked in.

"Team 6?" A familiar, red-haired woman appeared, dressed in the standard jounin uniform. She seemed slightly depressed and moody, Miyu couldn't help but wonder why.

"Kushina-neechan, what's wrong?" She decided to ask. The woman instantly turned on her with comical tears.

"That damn Sarutobi already decided on the team placements so now I have to train some bratty kids and I can't even have you!" Her team was a little annoyed that they had been referred to as bratty but wisely kept silent.

"There, there." Miyu comforted patting the woman's back. Iruka gave her a confused look but she would explain the mysterious lady later.

"Damn you Hyuga-teme!" Kushina shouted in despair. Miyu was fairly confused by her outcry, wondering what a Hyuga could've done to make the woman that emotional. Kurama chuckled in the back of her mind while outwardly lazing on the desk, obviously knowing the reason.

"Team 7." A deep voice called, interrupting Kushina's pity party. She quickly turned and growled ferally at him. A tall man with long, brown hair looked at her blankly with pale, pupiless eyes. "Meet me at training ground 7 in five minutes." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves while both students raced to get there in time, seeing as it was at least a fifteen minute walk away. Kushina herself walked dejectedly out of the classroom with her students following along.

"That was...hah...surprising..." Iruka panted as they reached the training grounds. Miyu was in a similar state but was happy to have made it in time. They had dashed straight from the classroom and probably set the record of three minutes and a couple of seconds.

"This is a pleasant surprise." The Hyuga male said with a ghost of a smile, "You both ran? And got here on time?" Each student nodded. "I'm beginning to expect great things from you two."

"Hai! Please take care of us, Sensei!" Both students saluted with silly grins and bowed.

"Well let's go through some quick introductions. I am Hyuga Hizashi your jounin sensei," Miyu blinked in recognition, so this was Neji's father then? "I'm currently absent from the battlefield due to the birth of my son." He gave Iruka a look to go next.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Umino Iruka!" He greeted mostly towards his new sensei rather than his friend who already knew, "I'm 9 years old and it's my dream to protect this village like my parents."

"Konichiwa , I am Namikaze Miyu and I turned 8 in October." It also happened to be the day she had slipped into the past. "And this is my partner Kurama." Hizashi looked at her thoughtfully. Also wondering how the fox managed to make it here on time.

"So this must be the Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki child I heard about." Their sensei scrutinized her form as she spoke, "It's quite amazing to find all three differing bloods rolled into one. I'm glad Minato and Kushina have found some long lost relative though I wish you weren't an Uchiha." His tone was light and cheerful leading her to believe maybe the clan rivalry wasn't too bad after all.

''We can only hope.'' Kurama yipped from beside her.

"It's been a long time since we've had a kunoichi as the rookie of the year. You might have inherited not just their blood, but talent as well." Hizashi continued, "And you Irukakun, it'll be interesting to see the boy who rose so quickly from the bottom in just a couple of months." The brunet blushed happily, thankful his grades had been pulled up.

"Undoubtedly a hard worker." Iruka shot Miyu a thankful and proud look. It was all the time they spent studying or training together that had led to his 'level up'.

"Alright," Hizashi clapped his hands to get their attention, "Even though you've graduated you aren't exactly genins yet."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Iruka questioned confused though Miyu had fully expected this.

"There's one more test academy graduates are required to complete if they want to stay ninjas. Otherwise it's back to academy if you still want to try again." Hizashi explained.

"What is it?!" Iruka asked excitedly, eager to prove his worth.

"Well originally I was going to try the bell test, but it seems Kushina has claimed that one this time," He seemed to be thinking up one on the spot, not noticing the little girl perk up as her former test was mentioned, "I don't feel like playing hide and seek with you two to test your tracking skills either...let's just spar then. If you can score one hit each you pass." He shot a calm and disarming smile towards them, but Miyu was on red alert.

"Iruka, we've got to be careful," She tugged on his sleeve to get attention, something their sensei didn't miss, "This will be difficult."

"Why?" He replied confused. Kurama thumped the boy on the leg with his tail.

"You can't be serious." His face remained confused and Miyu sighed, "If you would Kurama." The fox simply pulled out an item too large to have been in his fur, amazing Hizashi.

He then tossed it to the boy, catching him unaware as it slapped into his face.

"Guide to dojutsu?" Iruka read aloud. The Hyuga was surprised yet again, had the girl been looking through dojutsu?

"Page 32." Miyu commanded. Instantly Iruka sat down, cross-legged as he flipped to the correct page and immersed himself in learning.

"I was told you two had a strange relationship, I guess it's true." Their sensei noted.

"Strange?" Miyu echoed.

"For a nine year old boy to obediently listen to a girl younger than him," Hizashi explained, "Usually they'd be in their rebellious stage, too overconfident and outgoing to simply sit and read." He pointed to the sitting boy and chuckled, "Maybe you could say he's been tamed." The fox snorted in agreement.

"Tamed? In the first place Iruka wasn't that wild... aside from a couple of pranks. But we've been studying a lot at the library so he created a sort of study mode." She explained, gesturing towards the now quiet boy, "And he trust I wouldn't give him a useless book." Hizashi hummed in thought. Despite her young appearance, she spoke and acted much older. "Regardless, Iruka will be a great ninja no matter what," She stated confidently. The boy in question would've blushed if he weren't so immersed in reading, "I just wanted to help."

"Hmm." Hizashi noted some suspicious chakra signatures nearby. He wasn't the only one seeing how Miyu had turned to look around, something he definitely noticed.

"Done!" Iruka chirped standing up. He handed the book back to the fox and pointed proudly at Hizashi, "You almost fooled me but now I know all about the Byakugan...or at least what was written in the book!" Hizashi raised a single brow in response watching as the boy suddenly stated and began looking around. "Uh, Miyu? Is there someone else here, somewhere around the trees over there?" Both the girl and her teacher were surprised at his accuracy.

''The boy has talent in becoming a sensory ninja,'' the fox commented, ''maybe you can push him to go farther than his other self.'' That's the idea. She reminded the fox.

"Can you elaborate?" Hizashi asked curiously.

"Yeah, there are three chakra sources over there. Two are pretty small while the third is really big." Iruka pointed at their rough positions.

"You're getting really good with this chakra sensing thing you do." Miyu complimented with the Hyuga nodding in agreement.

"True, but for now let's ignore them and start our own test," Hizashi activated the Hyuga's signature jutsu, shown as the veins near his temple bulged. He gave them both a once over, staring at Miyu for a good while longer, before sliding into his stance, "I'll be mostly judging you on your taijutsu, whenever you're ready."

"Kurama, sit this one out for now." Miyu commanded. The fox nodded and padded a short distance away. "Iruka, try to aim for the back on his neck." Miyu said quietly enough for their teacher not to hear them. The boy nodded and slid into his own stance, an improvised and ever growing version of the basic academy style. "I'll create an opening and you can go for it." He nodded as she suddenly disappeared from sight, signalling the start of their assault.

"Hm?" Hizashi quickly raised his arm and blocked what looked like a dropkick. He felt the unusual heaviness of the attack and slid back a couple of centimetres. "Good strength,"

He turned slightly and brought an arm to block the incoming Iruka. Seeing he had lost his opportunity the boy jumped back and watched for another opening, "Smart move." Miyu quickly twisted herself around and launched a barrage of fast strikes. All aimed for his vitals he noticed. He felt Iruka sneaking up on him once again and blocked another jab, grabbing a thin wrist while he was at it, and sweeping Miyu's front leg off the ground before throwing her at her teammate. Kurama snort in amusement as the boy went down under her.

"Nng," Miyu rolled off Iruka with a grunted apology and set herself back on her feet. She was a bit put off he had thrown her so easily.

''It's because you're tiny...'' She growled at the fox, who had knowingly hit a sensitive subject. I'm not a midget! ''I said you were tiny, not a midget, though...'' The fox yipped in laughter. She chose to ignore him this time around and once again launched herself at her new teacher. He was as prepared as she expected and easily began countering her strikes. Iruka carefully circled around, looking for an opening as he edged closer. They blocked and parried each other's strikes and Hizashi momentarily forgot about his other student. By the time he sensed him coming in he was late to react and got caught with a nasty blow to the shoulder which he retaliated with a punch in the offender's gut. He was caught by a harsh punch to his side from his other student and he was quick to react by kicking her back. He stepped out of their range and scowled slightly knowing that he was going to be getting a pair of new bruises. With their goal accomplished, both genins jumped back a safe distance to check their own injuries. Iruka with a hand over his stomach and a grimace on his face, and Miyu dusting off a foot print on the side of her shirt.

"Honestly I'm surprised." Hizashi told them, "I didn't expect a pair of freshly minted genin to actually land a blow. Good job, you pass." Both students instantly relaxed and hive fived each other wincing as they felt their own oncoming bruises.

''I don't know about Iruka but I'm sure that bruise will be gone within the hour.'' Kurama added. Miyu hadn't heard him, too caught up in her most recent achievement.

"Yeah!" Both students cheered enthusiastically. He allowed them their moment, marvelling at the ease they each fell into their own team role. That sort of teamwork could only come from having trained together.

"It seemed you quickly came up with a plan," Hizashi analysed, "Which involved using Miyu as a distraction, and went headfirst into the battle. You both also seem to have a tight grasp on the basics and have a fairly good amount of strength, something that initially caught me off guard. In the end as long as you both showed adequate teamwork I would have passed you." They smiled brightly at him, obviously pleased with themselves. "As far as I can see, Miyu would be the leader in this case but it also seems like she takes the harsher roles like directly confronting me to give you a chance, Iruka. At the same time you seem to have unwavering trust in her and follow her orders to the best of your abilities." Hizashi rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously, "Was there a particular reason why you aimed for the back of my neck?" he asked the boy.

"I just did as Miyu asked," Iruka answered. Hizashi nodded and shrugged it off.

"Well it doesn't matter that much in the end. Anyway with my Byakugan I was able to examine your chakra levels during the fight. Iruka, you have more chakra than I expected, somewhere in the high genin to low chuunin mark. While Miyu, you seem to have an outrageously large amount for a freshly minted genin, maybe in the high chuunin levels. It seems like your fox has somehow developed chakra coils as well, which is strange, but not impossible. Maybe it can learn some handy skills." While he contemplated the thought a figure jumped down from the tree with two children over her shoulders.

"Haha! You lost!" Kushina shouted at Hizashi's slightly amused face.

"That I did, and now I have a pair of cute students." Though his voice was kept monotonous both students looked happy with the comments, though Iruka being a boy would deny this. "I can tell it won't be the same for you," He looked at the unconscious genins she carried. It new knowledge in the new Team 7 that Kushina and her two genins were probably the chakra signature hidden in the trees, though it was an unspoken fact that it wasn't nearly enough time for her to have adequately tested her students.

"Of course! No brat's are going to beat me any time soon." She replied confidently. Iruka blushed slightly looking up at the pretty lady.

"Um, was there a reason you were watching us?" he asked nervously.

"I needed to make sure my little Miyu was safe." She sent waves of her love at the blonde girl and glared at the Hyuga, "If only I could've been her sensei."

"Who is she?" The scarred boy asked his friend.

"That's Uzumaki Kushina, Minato's girlfriend." Miyu explained, while he finally nodded in understanding.

"So she'll like your aunt then?" he asked innocently.

"So it seems," Hizashi interrupted, "I need to inform Hokage-sama of the new team. You should probably do the same, Kushina." Hizashi told his comrade before turning to his students, "From tomorrow onwards Team 7 is to meet here at 6:00am sharp."

"Hai, Hizashi-sensei!" The students called back. He chuckled softly to himself, maybe a genin team wouldn't be too bad.

**A/N Thank you for reading~**

**So Fugaku gets to be all up in any doubter's face with his Sharingan-wielding daughter... (That's an awkward sentence to right...)**

**Miyu in this story does not cut off her 'Long, Glorious, Golden Hair'. Instead it serves to prompt sibling relationships. (I figured Itachi would be pretty good with ...anything...a prodigy through and through ahahaha)**

**She's back on Team 7, for the sake of sentimentality and tradition...and she gets Hizashi as her sensei. Reason being...I don't quite know but it happened...**

**Anyway, I'll see you people next time :D**


	14. Seal Masters

"So how was it?" Sarutobi asked as this year's jounin senseis lines up before him. Honestly he expected most if not all of them would fail, but lowering the graduation level gave each student more chances and those that were good enough to pass wouldn't be held back.

"Team 1, failed." Shikaku announced.

"Same here." echoed all the other jounins except for one. They all had matching, bored expressions and wanted to be back on the field fighting for their village as soon as possible. So they chose to stare at their comrade who had yet to voice his opinions.

"Team 7, passed." Hizashi spoke with a smile in his voice.

"You didn't go easy on them, right?" the Nara asked with a hint of disbelief.

"I didn't." They could tell he wasn't going to elaborate unless they continued to ask.

"Who did you have?" Chouza asked.

"Umino Iruka and Uchiha Miyu." Hizashi answered.

"Don't forget Uzumaki!" Kushina called, "Or Namikaze." She added as an afterthought.

"I know Iruka's from an average ninja family but that Miyu kid..." Shikaku thought back, "She's the one Minato discovered right? The amnesiac that became Rookie of the Year."

"They must be fairly skilled." A nameless jounin wondered.

"I think so at least." Hizashi confirmed. "They managed to past my test after all."

"And what was your test?" Inoichi inquired curiously.

"A simple spar."

"Then they must have showed enough team work to pass." Someone added.

"Oh, and then some," Hizashi clarified, "They managed to get a couple of good hits in after all." He lifted up part of his clothing to show the bruise on the side of his abdomen."

"One of the managed to hit you?" Chouza voiced with slight disbelief.

"They both did." He wasn't ashamed at all. In fact he was proud they manage to get him, even if he hadn't been fighting at his best.

"Of course they would!" Kushina shouted proudly, "Miyu's already got the basics down pat and I'm guessing Iruka has as well."

"Hm." The Hokage sat back thoughtfully, listening to the discussion in front of him. "Well, it seems that despite what we thought we have a couple of newbie genin." His words ended whatever the others wished to say, "That's all there is to it. Feel free to leave, you're dismissed, you probably want to get back to your families." The Hokage allowed them to return while Hizashi stayed in his office. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about, Hizashi-san?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," The Hyuga confirmed, "Today I spared with my genin and noticed, with the Byakugan, that Miyu seems to have some unnatural chakra. Though both she and Iruka have high levels for academy graduates her chakra coils seems reinforced in preparation for something I can only guess about and for some reason their seems to be a foreign chakra source around her stomach. To make it more confusing her partner, that fox, also has quite a developed chakra system and its chakra is similar to the foreign one within her." Sarutobi took a moment to think. Konoha's newest resident was still a mystery even after 2 months.

"I've had reports from her time at the hospital and it seems she has some sort of seal on her stomach." The Hokage informed, "We don't know anything about the ninja that brought her up other than their assumed efficiency, and what you've told me is interesting and unusual. I've already called Jiraiya back to look at the seal, which might the reason for her altered coils."

"Seals really can do about anything." Hizashi added wryly. Sarutobi gave him a rather sad smile.

"I'll relay the information you've given to Jiraiya and once he figures out the seal I'll tell you the result. But for now I assume what you saw wasn't bad?"

"It's more of an advantage," Hizashi explained, "like having a spare store of chakra for Miyu. And if that fox could learn to perform jutsu... they would become very powerful."

"I agree." Sarutobi said, "But until Jiraiya comes we can't be sure of what has caused the anomaly in her chakra system."

"Could Minato possible check the seal?" The Hyuga suggested. Sarutobi seemed to be struck with a realization.

"I had completely forgotten about his skills," The old man berated himself, "I vaguely remember asking him but it seems like we both forgot with everything happening. Bear!" An Anbu popped into the room right beside Hizashi.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" The rather bulky ninja asked.

"Get Minato Namikaze for me." With a single nod the ninja disappeared. "I'll get him to do it right now, and then Jiraiya can give his opinion after."

"So what did you need me for?" Miyu questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"Ah, Minato-sensei said to go buy you a graduation gift." A monotonous voice responded, "Rin was supposed to come as well but she's needed at the hospital.

"Aren't these things meant to be a surprise?" The blonde chirped, skipping around the silver haired boy.

"I have no idea what you'd want so I'll just pay for anything you decide to buy." Kakashi responded with a shrug. He was honestly surprised that she and her teammate had passed the actual exam. He eyed the girl curiously, not noticing the pair of red eyes that in turn, watched him.

"...Anything?" The girl said quietly. The prodigy jounin nodded, albeit warily as he observed her mood change. "Then..."

"Wah~!" Miyu looked around the store in wonder, "Isn't this awesome Kurama?" The orange fox nodded in agreement. The shop was one of Konoha's main arms supplies, run by

Tenten's family if she remembered correctly. It was fairly large with weapons lining the walls along with armour and other ninja tools lying on tables and shelves.

**''Be careful Miyu.''** Kurama warned as he saw the girl bounce around the store filled with pointy objects. Kakashi absentmindedly browsed the selection of shuriken nearby while also keeping an eye out for any dangers.

"Hrm? Customers?" A very tall and muscled man asked. He had to duck slightly as he came into the main part of the shop from a small doorway behind the desk.

"Ah, Higurashi-san, good afternoon." Kakashi greeted politely.

"So, what brings you here today Kakashi?" The man asked, "And who's the girl you brought with you?" He pointed to the girl who was examining the smaller blades quietly. Every now and then she would turn to the fox by her side, as if asking for advice.

"I'm just here to pay for anything she selects." He shrugged, "A graduation gift."

"Graduation?" She looked a little young, after all he heard most of the academy students were pretty much set to fail.

"She looks familiar... is this Minato's niece?" The store owner asked, thinking back to one of his particularly chatty customers.

"Yes." Meanwhile Miyu had taken to examining blades and swords, trying to find one to her liking.

"What are you looking for?" Kakashi asked walking over to her with Higurashi in tow.

"I thought a katana would be nice but I'm a little too short right now," She commented with a wry smile, "So I decided to take a look at the tantos."

"Is there anything specific you want?" Higurashi asked curiously.

"Maybe a Kanmuri-otoshi." Miyu replied, completely focused on the different weapons. Kakashi blinked at the uncommon word, especially for one not in the blacksmith industry.

He turned to Higurashi for an explanation.

"It's a type of tanto, medium sized with a single edge and flat back." Higurashi replied thoughtfully, "The girl knows her stuff. Tell me a bit more of what you're looking for." He encouraged with an interested look.

"For now I just wanted something to practice with. Otherwise I'd probably be asking for chakra conductive metal." She answered simply. Beyond the shelves of weapons she could see a back room with a semi-refined strip of metal sitting on it. She would recognize it anywhere, even if it had not yet become a blade. She sighed and vaguely detailed her wants. Kakashi hadn't missed the longing in her eyes and turned to look at what had caught her attention. Surprisingly enough to him, it was one of Higurashi's current projects.

"Then this should do for now." The gruff man dropped a handful of tantos into her arms and the silver-haired boy briefly wondered what he had missed, and more importantly, how many she had ordered.

"Arigatou!" Miyu chirped with a bright smile.

"You're welcome." The owner smiled back, hoping he would soon be getting another faithful and interesting customer, "Now go find someone to teach you and make my store famous!" He laughed heartily at her determined salute before watching the girl dash out of the store. "Now," He turned to Kakashi who had stood by watching, "You said you would be paying?"

"H-hai." He pulled out the money, thankful Minato seemed fond of doting on his niece, and payed the high expenses. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you making at the moment?" He asked, indicating to the work bench.

"Oh, a tanto." Higurashi answered, "A Kanmuri-otoshi just like the ones the girl had asked for. Chakra conducting metal and all."

"Really?" He wouldn't dwell on the thought too much but wondered if the girl's stare was something more...

"Hm, it's more of a trail than anything else. I've decided on trying something a bit new but at the rate I'm going it won't be done anytime soon."

"Ah." He stored the information away for whenever he might need it.

"What's with the sudden interest?" The man asked, "You finally feel like getting another weapon? I mean shuriken and kunai are nice an all but it's always nice to have something to fall back on."

"No, I was just curious." He stated monotonously.

"If this is about your father's tanto I won't be able to fix it. Not unless I can fine the same material." His tone was sombre, a broken weapon, more accurately one he had forged, hit him hard.

"I expected as much." Kakashi sighed.

"Welcome home..." Itachi curiously eyed the four tantos his sister had strapped to her waist, three on the left and one slightly longer one on the right side.

"Sorry if I made you wait," She said ruffling his hair, "I got a little caught up."

"It's fine." He stated stoically, "Uzumaki-san and Namikaze-san are present and waiting for you in the kitchen." The boy informed.

"Ah, really? I wonder why?" Kurama, too lazy too even walk, had already jumped into Itachi's small arms, "It seems that training session we were going to have will have to wait."

Walking into the house she was greeted by Kushina's fierce hug and Minato's sheepish expression

"It's been too long!" Kushina whined.

"I saw you this afternoon, Kushina-nee." Miyu responded in a muffled voice.

"Don't suffocate my only daughter." Mikoto called with a light chuckle. Reluctantly, Kushina obliged and detached herself.

"Are you here for a specific reason?" Miyu wondered.

"Ah, yeah." Minato was the one to reply, "The Hokage reminded me that I have yet to look at your seal and said it would be in my best interest to check it before I forgot again."

"Seal?" Heads turned to see Fugaku standing at the doorway, "What do you mean?"

"In the hospital report there was a mention of seal on her abdomen." The blond jounin replied informatively.

"And? What does it do?" The Uchiha head pressed.

"That's what I'm supposed to find out." The blond gave him a small glare. He turned back to the girl, "I hope you don't mind."

"...not at all." She resigned herself to her approaching fate.

**''It seems something like this was unavoidable.'' **Kurama commented calmly, obviously having thought about the situation before. **''You can't actually stop him. But the seal doesn't exist right now since it was created by him. The arrangement will undoubtedly confuse him, though he isn't a seal master for nothing so he'll eventually figure it out...'' **Then what?! He gave the animal equivalent of a shrug, not reassuring her in the least. Meanwhile, Minato took her stiff form as fear.

"I promise it won't hurt." He said softly, "I just need to look at the pattern." She shifted nervously on the spot. It wasn't like she could hide it since the nurse and thus the hospital knew about it. In the end the blue eyed girl nodded reluctantly, lifting her shirt up just enough for him to see the seal. In an instant he had brush in hand as he quickly copied down the pattern. His calligraphy was flawless and each of his strokes were done elegantly. "And that's it." He finished with a final flick of his brush. Miyu let her shirt fall back down as the blond began to analyse the seal. "It looks familiar, but I'm certain I've never seen anything as complex as this." He muttered under his breath. The others in the room peered closer but had little chance of recognising the patterns of ink. It was only Kushina's widening eyes that caught her attention.

"This...!" Her voice was low and almost inaudible.

**''You know, apparently Minato based the Hakke no Fuin off the seal Kushina had.''** The fox explained, **''if that is so, then it wouldn't be strange for her to recognize it...'' **Miyu couldn't do anything else than sit back and watch. It seemed that they were destined to decipher the seal, and if that was the case, she was fairly sure she could come up with a lie more believable than time travelling and a second Kyuubi. Then again she could always plead ignorance.

"Do you recognize it?" Minato looked back eagerly.

"But it can't be..."

"Can't be what?" Mikoto asked, she hadn't been worried initially, but her friend's reaction told her something was wrong.

"That's a classic Uzumaki sealing technique. It looks like it was modified to strengthen and fortify it, I'm not sure what else but..." Kushina trailed off again.

"But?" The Namikaze pressed. She sighed and spoke quietly, only meant for his ears.

"Sealing a demon...You must remember the Shisho Fuin." Kurama picked up her words and relayed it back to his partner.

**''They know.''** He added, **''not much, but enough.'' **Miyu seemed to notice the worried glances Minato seemed to be shooting her while Kushina tried to unravel the mystery of the seal.

"So why did you call me here again?" A kimono clad man with long, spiky, white hair tapped his foot impatiently waiting for a reply. "I have my networks to maintain, y'know?"

"My apologies, Jiraiya," Sarutobi apologized, "It was a moment of senility on my part. I still can't believe I forgot about Minato... but still, it would probably be best for you to hear about the findings." The Hokage advised.

"What exactly was it?" He asked curiously as he was handed a parchment with the neatly copied seal on it. His brow furrowed as he tried to analyse the deceptively simple looking design.

"I received that from Minato not long ago. He rushed it to me as soon as he could along with some concerning information." The elderly man sighed tiredly. "You've heard about the young girl we found a not long ago who turned out to be his niece correct?"

"Yeah, found with impossible injuries, heals without a scar, has a pet fox and is apparently of Uchiha and Uzumaki blood." Jiraiya listed off. He had yet to meet her and would have to make time to do so.

"The very same one," Sarutobi confirmed, "That seal was found on her abdomen."

"It looks familiar...kind of like the Uzumaki seals." The sage commented, "What exactly does it do?"

"You're right when you say it's similar to an Uzumaki seal, more specifically the Shisho Fuin Kushina has." He paused letting his last sentence sink in.

"The seal used for the nine tailed fox?" he kept his tone serious and narrowed his eyes. Looking closely he could pick out different elements here and there. It seemed to be a double of the preceding seal with the purpose at being twice as efficient at sealing something away and allowing access to it. Sarutobi nodded grimly in response. "And what exactly does it do? Has Konoha somehow managed to get its hands on another Jinchuriki?" It was unlikely since his spies had accounted for all the existing tailed beasts, but nothing was ever impossible.

"It's a strange thing," His old teacher began, "As far as I know she doesn't have a tailed beast sealed in her. Instead the seal seems to house a large amount of foreign chakra.

That is, a very large amount," He stressed, "It also links her to her fox possibly giving the animal the ability to perform jutsu but we have yet to test that particular theory out."

Jiraiya noted down the facts, making the girl more and more fascinating to him.

"Can I meet her?" He asked, "Or do you need me back out on the field?"

"I think the meeting can wait," Sarutobi decided, "Right now I have an important scroll I need delivered to Amegakure."

"I'll finally be able to see those three again then, huh?" Jiraiya smiled lightly, "The alliance will definitely help us out, though I wonder what's in it for them?"

"We can only wonder, but during this war I'll take any help that's offered." The Hokage handed over the precious document which the sage accepted with a brief nod before jumping out of the window and disappearing from sight.

**1 month later – Dark alleyway within Konoha**

"Iruka!" Miyu collapsed on the floor holding a red stain on her side. Kurama lay unmoving beside her. "Go on without me, you must finish the mission!" She coughed and the boy's eyes widened at the red that also appeared on her hand.

"But-" He stuttered clutching the important scroll to his chest.

"Sensei, stayed behind to hold them back and in this state I will only slow you down," She gritted out, "I will stay here...with Kurama." She pulled out an ominous tag. "If I see any of the enemies come pass I'll just have to take them out with me!" Iruka felt a few foolish tears slide down his face.

"I will make you both proud so please, live!" He dashed off, hearing a sudden explosion and the warmth of fire behind him. The target wasn't that far off and all he had to do was hand them the scroll. He dodged to the left, seeing a dozed shuriken strike his previous position. Pushing his legs to their limit he dashed into a small alley way as a shortcut and finally came up to the large red doors of the Hokage tower. It would be too slow to enter via the reception and he could be putting other in risk so the boy scaled the walls and jumped through the window, tumbling as he fell. Behind him came a couple of kunai, one nicking his arm and the other clattering on the floor.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The elderly leader shouted in alarm.

"Hokage-sama," Iruka panted, "I've brought the scroll." He quickly passed it to Sarutobi who opened it warily.

"Team 7, has successfully completed their mission," He read aloud with growing irritation, "Signed Mr Fujimoto. If I remember correctly you were just weeding his garden... how did this happen." He gestured to the messy state Iruka was in, cut up in a couple of places and wearing torn and singed clothes.

"W-well..." The boy fidgeted under his unwavering gaze.

"I can explain that, Hokage-sama," Hizashi appeared in perfect condition, a smoky and red-stained Miyu at his side. ''That was quite fun.'' The fox yipped in her mind while climbing up to her shoulders.

"Good job Iruka!" She praised.

"Back to the point," Hizashi cleared his throat, "We've already had a month of missions and they were getting a little bored, so why not turn these D-ranks into harder missions with different scenarios? I wasn't really sure what we could do with weeding a garden so I made the trip back here a mission for Iruka. The scenario was that I stayed back to hold off the enemy, who were after the scroll, whole Miyu and Iruka escaped. From there I played the enemy and sent projectiles at them from a range of different directions. Miyu then played the comrade who falls in the line of duty and chooses to die taking as many down as she can with her. Then Iruka, distraught with the loss of his team must strive to reach his objective, you Hokage-sama."

"You're a really good actor, Iruka," Miyu complimented, "For a moment when we were talking you almost convinced me that I was actually dying."

"Ah it's nothing," The boy accepted modestly.

"Will it be like this every time?" The Hokage sighed, looking at the mess in his office. The three nodded seriously in reply, "You've worked hard and turned in 46 D-ranks during this month I think I can let you off with a couple of C-ranks now and then, so please don't panic the citizens with your antics."

"Hai Hokage-sama." Hizashi replied.

"And that," their sensei said proudly as they entered training ground 7, "Is how you get higher ranked missions."

"By threatening to throw civilians into panic?" Iruka wondered, "Why couldn't we just ask?"

"Where would the fun be in that?" Miyu answered, "Plus Jiji must have been getting bored with all the paperwork. We were a good break." Her team had already come to understand that her nicknames where some sort of sign of respect, though watching a young girl disrespect the most powerful ninja in the village, right to his face was still nervewracking.

"It looks like we might be getting higher ranked missions from tomorrow onwards but for now let's train." Hizashi walked the two to a small river that cut through the grounds.

"Iruka, you'll be continuing where we left of yesterday, and Miyu, you'll be sparing with me." The brunette muttered unhappily and stripped to his boxers revealing a fit youn body. He had been working on trying to gain muscle mass but as a child it was a slow process. He had already gotten rid of any embarrassment he felt between his team and took an unsteady step on top of the water. Once he got to the middle Kurama jumped and landed neatly on his head, before pawing and trying to distract the poor boy. Meanwhile his owner had already begun exchanging strikes with her teacher. It was probably for the best that her teacher specialised in taijutsu seeing as it was one of the things she struggled the most in.

"Hah!" She executed a revamped version of the Konoha Senpuu, launching a high kick then a low spinning kick and then following through with a round house kick. Her teacher fended them all off and returned with a couple well aimed strikes she barely dodged. **''The sparring you do with the Hyuga has helped regained sense of your body,''** the fox said while sitting on Iruka's head. His tail swished back and forth before the boy's nose, **''so now you should endeavour to push yourself further. Taijutsu was never one of your strong points.''**

"Ah-AHCHOO!" Iruka's sneeze was followed by a loud splash as he fell in. Kurama yipped his laughter out, staying on the surface by his own skill.

"Pay attention Miyu," Hizashi caught her in a moment of distraction and sent her sprawling onto the ground. "If you weren't a kunoichi I'd have qualms about injuring such a cute girl, but..." He sighed dramatically. She had never known him in her time but here Miyu knew Hizashi to be somewhat out of the norm for a Hyuga.

"It's fine, as a ninja I'm expecting to get a few battle scars anyway," She smiled almost in longing. Back in her old time no matter how many battles she had gone through her body was never marred, a fact which left her surprisingly saddened. Though they were her enemies, she had faced off against good ninja, and she thought it was an insult towards them if her body didn't show the damage done. She placed her hand over her heart, remembering the only scar she received.

"Has anyone told you that you're a strange girl?" Her sensei rubbed the back of his head and helped her up before going to check on his other student. Iruka had his face scrunched up in concentration as he jumped up and down, staying above the water this time.

"Yeah, a couple." Kurama snickered in her mind while walking up to meet them.

"Right," Hizashi clapped his hands for their attention, "Iruka, take a small break. You'll be sparing with Miyu next." The boy looked torn between cheering and groaning. He could finally get off the early winter-chilled water, but at the sake of some bad bruising from a younger girl. He stayed indecisive as he walked off the river and redressed himself watching Miyu in the middle of some stretches before deciding to do some as well. Hizashi couldn't have been happier as he watched his two students. They learned fast, didn't act like brats and respected him. Even if the Hokage had forced him to take on students at least he could say teaching them was a joy. "Alright then," He had their attention almost immediately and smiled lightly at the kids, "Let's hurry and start sparring. Then we'll work on more chakra control and finally jutsus to finish up. The Hyuga indicated at a sturdy tree and both students gathered chakra in their feet before walking up. Facing each other on the vertical surface they were given the signal to begin.

**A/N Thanks for reading :)**

**So, not sure if I've mentioned anything like this yet but, Naru, having grown till nineteen in the times of war, was very proficient at using weapons. So much so she could be counted as a weapons mistress (But specialises in a certain few and is still below Tenten's level of mastery).**

**In general she stays away from heavy weapons such as axes, clubs and finicky types like bows and whips. She is proficient in most forms of Bojutsu (in memory of Sarutobi Hiruzen), including three-sectioned staffs and spears. Her taijutsu is usually accompanied by a pair of jutte or tonfa and to some extent tessen.**

**While apprenticed under Kakashi she became skilled at the use of a Tanto and at some point in time after Shikamaru's death (...yeah, I'm gonna need a flashback of intense sadness for that...) she picked up Asuma's chakra blades and was practically a natural. After Sasuke's death she also acquired his chokuto and for a point in time it was her primary weapon after her original one (I wonder what it could be :D?) was destroyed.**

**She always had a fondness for swords. (Also, proficiency means she is around average with a weapon. definitely not comparable to a learned master)**

**Most of this won't even be relevant beside the fact she 'can' use weapons (most of the time not nearly well enough to make them available choice in a tough battle) but throughout the story she'll be picking up kenjutsu (if the four tantos weren't already an indication.)**

**Anyway, part of the seal has been revealed and Jiraiya's made a small appearance.**

**It's now around late January-early Februrary and a lot of Konoha wives are now pregnant...**

**Well, I'll see you readers next time...whenever that may be...**


	15. Sunrise,Sunset,Departures

"Konichiwa~" Miyu called as she entered the familiar apartment. Walking to the kitchen, she opened the cupboard, her gaze passing over the 'Limited Edition Deluxe Ramen' set she had got for Minato's birthday a week ago. Apparently it had also became a frequent thing to see the blond jounin standing in front of the noodles with his mind warring whether or not he should eat them or keep the delicious noodles for sentimental value.

"Good afternoon Miyu." Kushina greeted, lying on the couch and flicking through some magazines. The red-head had also given Minato a wonderful present as well, and was thus on leave for the next nine to ten months. Miyu was anxious yet excited. She was going to be an aunt... to herself...

**''Confusing isn't it?''** Kurama noted, padding onto a comfortable chair to curl up on. She nodded but pushed further thoughts out of her mind.

"How was your day, Kushina-neechan?" She asked.

"Boring!" The woman moaned, rolling around on the couch, "I don't know if I can take ten months of nothing."

"Maybe you need a hobby?" Miyu suggested, settling down next to the woman.

"Maybe," Kushina greed thoughtfully, "I'll have to visit Mikoto-chan, I heard she's expecting as well. Maybe we can knit together." For a brief moment an image of a golden haired baby in warm, hand knitted clothes flitted through her mind along with the uncomfortable feeling of jealousy. Miyu dropped the thought in shock. What do I have to be jealous for?

She berated herself internally, my life was perfectly fine, and I even have the chance to do it over.

**''Define 'perfectly fine.''** Kurama drawled as he yawned. It was good enough. I would've gotten all I ever dreamed of if it wasn't for that masked bastard. I would've been happy.**''But you did not get anything. In fact you had nothing left... you, of all people, are allowed to feel jealousy. If your plan works out this child will grow up happy and loved like you, should have.''**The demon's words were comforting in a way, but she refused to fall to such a petty emotion. I'm going to spoil that kid rotten. Miyu declared stubbornly.

"You should definitely." Miyu said aloud re-joining the conversation, "A pair of warm socks and mittens, a nice scarf and a cute beanie." She listed off possible clothing items.

"They would be perfect." Kushina sighed dreamily. Orange would be the perfect colour, a perfect mix of red and yellow.

"I'm home!" A cheerful voice called out as the front door was pushed open, "And I brought some guests." There were three set of footsteps as far as Miyu could tell.

"Kushina!" a second voice greeted. It was warm and hearty, the familiar low tenor bringing a small ache to Miyu's heart. "I heard about the good news, congratulations."

**''Kit.''** The fox hopped of his perch and rubbed his face in her side in a soothing manner. Of course, it was just her luck that when she visited there would be guests...

"Ero-sennin!" Kushina chirped back, "It's nice to see you're doing well." Miyu could hear the grumbles and snickers that followed.

"I'm the great toad sage dammit, I demand some respect!" the sage rounded the corner and Miyu was able to catch a glance at her estranged godfather. He was a lot younger, she noticed, several of the lines which used to crease his face missing. His white hair wasn't as long and he seemed ever so slightly thinner. He turned his head and she caught his gaze as he studied her. "Is this the cute little Miyu-chan my idiot student won't stop rambling about?" He asked in a light tone.

"Hey!" Minato cried indignantly, entering the living room with a gorgeous blue haired woman who scanned the area lightly.

"Hello." Miyu waved with a small smile, "I'm Uchiha Miyu." Seeing him was almost as bad as the first time she same Kakashi, but a least the little warning she got helped her to brace herself.

"She's tiny." Jiraiya told his student not noticing the way the girl twitched in annoyance.

"She's perfect!" Minato countered stupidly.

"Whatever you say," the sage shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Nice to meet you midget." The tiny girl growled at him.

"I'm not a midget!" She snapped at him, "Stupid Ero-jiji." She let out a satisfied smirk as he spluttered at the name.

"Ero-jiji?!" He repeated, "I am the great toad sage! One of the three Sannin Jiraiya! I'm not just your everyday pervert," all four of the audience waited for the inevitable last statement, "I'm a super pervert!"

"Idiot." Minato snorted at the self-proclaimed menace. "Anyway... Kushina, Miyu, I'd like you to meet Konan." He introduced the woman at his side, "She's one of Ame's leaders and came over to visit Konoha and chat with the Hokage."

"Welcome," Kushina extended her hand with a warm smile, "I'm Uzumaki Kushina."

"It's a pleasure." Konan smiled back and shook the offered hand. She then turned towards the young girl with golden hair and ocean-blue eyes, her gaze straying slightly to the fox by her side. Miyu tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"Uchiha Miyu, and this is my partner Kurama," She greeted. "It's nice to meet you." Konan hid her surprise and confusion well, as one would expect of any trained ninja.

"Same here, Miyu-chan." She replied.

"So how old is she?" Jiraiya asked his student.

"Eight." Minato answered.

"And judging by the fact she managed to graduate we might have another prodigy." He responded with a small chuckle. Konoha was getting an awful lot of them lately, first the younger Hatake, then this little chibi-Minato and apparently the Uchiha's heir as well. What was next? The Hyuga?

"Mmhm," Minato hummed in agreement, "She and Iruka were the only two to pass the genin test."

"Really? The Umino kid?" Jiraiya thought back to a young brunet with a large bandage over his nose.

"Yep." The two men watched the two women chat about Kushina's pregnancy, with Miyu throwing in her own opinion every now and then.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Konan asked.

"Not at all, I think right now we have to get use to me being pregnant." Kushina smiled and placed a hand on her flat stomach, "I'm not even showing yet." Konan nodded in agreement, the kunoichi looked as fit as ever. "Do you have anyone?" the Uzumaki asked earnestly.

"Ahh," The blue haired blushed lightly, sparking Miyu's interest, "I-I... not really."

"Who is it!?" Miyu asked curiously.

"W-well no one really..." Konan shifted uncomfortably under the intense dual gazes.

"Don't worry, your secrets safe here," Kushina added, "Were in an entirely different village in the first place and I think that's far enough away from home... unless the guy in question is over here..." She shifted her gaze to Jiraiya in a joking manner.

"No!" the foreign kunoichi denied frantically, drawing the two men's attention before they went back to their own conversation.

"So...?" Kurama threw in his puppy eyes, wondering if they would help any. Konan gave a resigned sigh.

It was a long while before any words were spoken. Both kunoichi listening to the idle chatter that drifted towards them from the living room. Kurama had left to hunt earlier, leaving Miyu alone with the sole woman who knew the most about her current identity.

"Uchiha Miyu? Is that your real name?" Konan finally asked.

"Well technically it's Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki Miyu." The girl answered with a small smile. There would be no hiding in front of the blue haired woman but at the same time Konan would never get the entirety of her story. "How's Ame doing?" Konan stared at her speculatively.

"Good." She gave, "We have been quick to recover from the civil war and after gaining Konoha's alliance the villagers seem to have a better sense of security, knowing we are no longer alone. Our ninja have been efficient with our missions and I think yesterday Yahiko managed to get one of the younger Roots to smile." Miyu was pleasantly surprised, things were going much better than she hoped then.

"The ninja in Root have done nothing wrong, and by now you should have noticed how emotionless they are." She replied, "I sincerely thank you for returning some semblance of their humanity."

"It's nothing. Even if they are ninja, first and foremost they are humans." Konan responded, "It's what should be done."

"I wish more people saw it that way." Miyu replied. Slate grey eyes stared piercingly at the young girl as they tried to discern her, to unravel the mystery of her appearance and strength.

"Is this what you... look like?" The older woman asked after cautiously.

"If you're wondering if I'm truly a child then the answer is yes." The blonde sighed.

"Then how?" In the entirety of her stay in Amegakure, Konan had visited and spent most of her time with the 'woman', yet had never detected signs of a henge.

"Just an advanced version of a D-rank jutsu." Miyu explained, "I could show you?" The girl offered after a moment of thought, "It doesn't take too much effort to perform, but requires a bit of chakra to regulate it, more so if you're using it for an extended amount of time."

"Maybe another time." Konan declined. Hopefully this offer would give her an excuse to visit again, to come see the strange child who had defeated the legendary Hanzo. Many questions flitted through her mind giving her trouble as to which one to ask. "Then," Konan began, "How are you so strong? How strong are you?"

"...I train," Miyu replied, "Whenever I can. I'm not nearly strong enough yet." So she would become even more powerful, the thought would have unnerved the older kunoichi but for some strange reason it didn't.

"I think you're already plenty strong." She added, "With that fox and those eyes, you are an army of your own. Why do you need more?" Miyu shrugged.

"To protect." She answered simply, "To stop anything that dares harms anyone or anything precious to me." The blue haired woman gave a small nod of understanding.

"I can understand that," Konan said slowly. "It is not something you must do alone though..."

"I'm not. I will protect with all my ability and Kurama will be the one to keep me safe." Miyu stated with certainty. She seemed so much older, wearier, than her child body allowed.

And despite how she appeared Konan would not treat her as a child, everything she picked up on went against that simple façade. The bright smile that contrasted against grim determination, the power that should be impossible for her to have, the deception of her appearance yet her honest personality and the darkness that held no malice. That was the true essence of the girl she knew as Miyu.

"The one Amegakure is indebted to is you," Konan declared, "And as such, regardless of whatever is needed, we will stand behind you, at your beck and call until that debt is repaid."

"And what debt would that be?" Miyu asked with a wry smile.

"The gift of our freedom."

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

Naru huffed, hefting the extra baggage over her shoulder before continuing to her main destination. She manoeuvred through the streets of Konoha, passing the weary looking citizens, and stopped in front of a supermarket. Already, prices had begun to rise, it was inevitable in times of war but at least everyone understood that, and for now they were still very reasonable.

"What can I help you with today, Uzumaki-sama?" The attendant asked.

"I've told you countless times to just call me Naru, these formalities are too stiff for me," The blonde replied with a small yawn, "I was up all night searching for this bastard so I just need to pick up some groceries." She nudged Boy Wonder who was still unconscious. Maybe she had hit him too hard?

"I couldn't possibly disrespect you in such away," The attendant replied as usual, while she purchased some vegetables.

"Right, then I guess I'll see you later then." Naru gave a small wave before walking back to her passenger's home. Walking through the residential area she stepped past a couple of guards into a large compound after a small greeting.

"Welcome, Naru-sama." They intoned quietly, sighing in relief as they spotted their astray clansman.

"Better go alert Hiashi that I've found our missing idiot." One of the guards nodded and left immediately while the other resumed his watch. Naru trudged her way to the branch section and pushed oped the door before dropping the groceries and man. He groaned in response, finally coming to.

"Naru?" The kimono clad brunette asked groggily, "What the hell is going on here?" The last thing he could remember was running through the Forest of Death before he was knocked out from behind.

"We're back at the compound," She pointed to the bags of groceries behind him, "And that is going to be your food for the next few days instead of whatever you've been eating in that godforsaken forest. And your uncle will be in her in a couple of moments, hopefully to give you a good tongue lashing." Exactly on time the doors burst open and Hiashi strode in with unconcealed worry.

"Neji!" He exclaimed in relief, pulling his nephew up into a crushing hug unbefitting of the stoic clan. Naru sat back, watching in amusement as Neji got the lecturing of his life afterwards. Hiashi definitely didn't go easy on the young man, droning on for the next couple of hours about Neji's foolishness. He only relented when the moon rose up into the sky, and his youngest daughter came in to find him.

"Otou-san, it's getting late," Hanabi called, peeking from behind the door, "You should let Neji-niisan rest." She spotted Naru and gave her a small smile which the blonde returned warmly. Hanabi understood this was the woman her loved ones fought together with, the one who would succeed Lady Tsunade's position and the one her sister had admired, but more importantly Naruto Uzumaki was the one who had freed her clan and removed the seal from Neji's forehead.

Hiashi sighed but agreed with his daughter, his last remaining daughter, and left the room with a promise to be back early next morning. As the newbie genin disappeared from view, Naru's gaze turned sad thinking back to her deceased friend, Hinata. Kind, gentle Hinata, with her beautiful pale eyes and long dark hair. So fragile and yet so strong...

"Naru?" She was jolted from her reminiscing by Neji, who was watching her with worry, "Are you alright?"

"I think I should be asking you that." Naru replied dodging the question. She was a horrible liar but had found a simple solution in just not answering a question. Neji grunted, truthfully he felt horrible, lost and worst of all weak. "Right, here's the plan for tonight." Naru called pulling out a sealing scroll. She added a tiny amount of chakra and several ceramic bottles popped out along with a pair of small dishes. She uncorked a bottle a poured the clear liquid into both dishes. "We're going to drink our worries away." The blonde stated looking completely serious.

"Aren't those Tsunade-sama's?" Neji questioned, spotting the expensive labels on the sake.

"Yep," Naru replied, handing him the hand sized dish, "A privilege of being Hokage candidate." She picked up her own and locked arms with her old friend. "Now drink." They downed the liquid at the same time, feeling the burn in their throat. Yep, it was quality stuff.

\- - - - - _Reality _\- - - - -

Miyu woke up slowly with the craving of sake. It was an hour before dawn in the morning and it seemed Kurama had returned, now waiting outside for her with a fresh carcass.

She threw on a grey jumper and some comfortable pants before checking on her seals. A couple of taps here and there and she was moved up to level 6. Once again resistance levels seemed to increase and she was forced to push chakra into her limbs to move efficiently. Stepping outside, her partner was waiting in a quite space in the undergrowth with another dead, and neatly eaten tiger.

**''More stew?''** He asked as the girl quickly skinned and packed away the remains of the carcass.

"Mmhm." She hummed in answer. She did promise to treat the Ame leaders and now Konan was here she could take some back. She'd have to introduce Kushina and Jiraiya to her famous recipe as well.

"Hm? What are you doing out this early midget?" Jiraiya asked, casually walking up to the girl. Honestly he had been watching her since the moment she woke up but decided to make himself known after watching her efficiently butcher the overly large feline.

"Ero-jiji?!" The girl jolted in surprise. Neither her nor the fox had picked up the man, maybe he had been downwind? But either way why was he near the compound?

"Midget." He replied to his own derogatory name. They stared each other for a few moments as he tried to see whatever he could find in her eyes. When he had first seen her it had been a mixture of recognition, sorrow, hope and happiness, weariness and determination. Now the mass of emotions seemed to have been masked carefully except for trace amounts melancholy. Unusual for sure, something he would check into. "Let's go for a walk." The sage suggested. Miyu merely shrugged and followed him on a very familiar path, down the business district, into a small's sweets shop. She stood by outside as he made his purchase and lead her up to the top of the Hokage Monument. "Here." He unwrapped a frozen treat and split the double popsicle between them, handing her half.

"Thank you," her voiced wavered slightly. It was a simple yet heart-warming gesture. A lost tradition she had missed after his passing. They sat together silently, watching as the sun rose over their precious village. All the while Jiraiya observed her from his peripheral vision. Any other kid would be complaining out of boredom, of course with a few exceptions like the little Uchiha and last Hatake. It looked like Minato's angel would have to be added to the small list.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He commented. It was times like this he wondered how his teammates could leave their home.

"It is." She wondered if her former sensei would ever realize how precious this view was to her. It was like seeing her loved ones again. It reminded her of all the joys and hardships they went through together and served as a reminder to what she was fighting for. Kurama curled tighter around her shoulders, having climbed up and fallen asleep not too long ago. That response was all Jiraiya needed from her. It erased any doubts he may have had about the tiny blonde child. The raw emotions he saw in her eyes told him that this girl would never harm Konoha, she would protect this village with all her might till her dying breath, and for some strange reason Jiraiya felt as if she already had.

"Guess what I've picked up." Hizashi said cheerfully, walking into training ground 7 to meet his team. Watching both go through some simple katas together brought a smile to his lips. Taking on a genin team had done the recently widowed man wonders, and anyone that couldn't see that would have to be blind.

"Good morning Hizashi-sensei." His cute, little genins greeted in synch. Kurama barked out his own little greeting as well.

"Good morning you two." He smiled and waved the scroll, "So what do you think?"

"It's our first C-rank!" Iruka exclaimed excitedly.

"Correct!" Hizashi shouted back with the same enthusiasm. "So for today we'll forgo training. Instead you're going to have to go home and pack for a couple of nights out of the village. Catch a nap if you can, we'll be moving by night, and meet me at the village gates at sunset." He headed back to the compound to set up a babysitter, leaving behind his eager students.

"I'm going to run home then." Iruka decided, maybe he could get his mum to help him pack, "I'll see you later Miyu-chan!"

"Right." She watched her teammates leave and proceeded home herself, making a couple of stops along the way. First she managed to catch a spandex wearing teen on one of his jogs to inform him of her departure. She wouldn't be able to train with him for the next couple of day so Gai spontaneously decided he would train enough for both of them, efficiently doubling his schedule. She stopped by the apartment, lucky enough to find both Minato and Kushina still there, and finally she made her way to the Uchiha compound, smiling as the guards greeted her respectfully. She returned their gesture with a bright smile and made her way to her favourite little prodigy.

**''Chibitachi''** Kurama called as he skipped along beside her. The young Uchiha knew how to give the best pats, second only to Miyu herself.

"Onee-san?" Itachi managed to spot the sunny blonde after hearing the fox's bark.

"Ah, Itachi it seems my team and I are going to be away on a mission for the next couple of days." Miyu called, jogging up to him.

"Alright then," The Uchiha replied stoically, refraining himself from pouting. "When are you leaving?"

"Today, at sunset." She announced. It was much sooner than he expected.

"I'll help you pack then." He offered helpfully.

"Arigatou." He was rewarded with an especially warm smile.

"Right Team!" Hizashi exclaimed, catching their attention, "Have you got everything you need and alerted your guardians?"

"Hai, sensei!" His genins replied with a salute. Miyu had sealed away everything she needed into a couple of scrolls and changed into durable boots and a reinforced fishnet shirt.

Her weapons were all accounted for and packed into the pouch at her hip and she knew Iruka had gone through the exact same preparations. He had changed from his customary t-shirts into a navy turtleneck, and a useful multi-pocketed pair of pants. She looked to Kurama trying to remember if she had forgotten anything. After arriving home she had made enough stew for Konan to take back, Jiraiya and Kushina to try, and for some previsions she sealed away. She had packed some standard equipment for a possible B-rank and then taken a small nap like suggested.

**''You should be fine,'' **Kurama decided. She was sufficiently prepared unless this became another unfortunate C-rank turned A-rank, but what were the chances of that?

"I better not have jinxed this..." Miyu muttered under her breath. Haku and Zubaza huh... I wonder if I could save them? She thought idly.

"Right, so we'll be doing border patrol for the next 3 days, not including the day it takes to get there. We're to relieve the team stationed at the edge of Wind country." Hizashi briefed, "We'll be moving quickly and should arrive at Takumi village in central Tanigakure by midnight. We're restricted to moving by night so you can spend the day in the village however you want." Their sensei allowed, "For now let's get moving." They took to the canopy and travelled quickly, Miyu with a certain bounce in her step.

**''Takumi village, in the Land of Rivers, also known as the village of artisans,''** Kurama remembered vaguely, **''known for the quality and abundance of weaponry.''** Miyu vaguely remembered visiting there in the past when she had started to pick up different weapon styles. She was never as skilled as Tenten in her mastery but she was confident enough that she was advanced in certain areas. Bojutsu in memory of Sarutobi, which then branched out to include spears, naginatas and three-quarter staffs. A pair of jutte or tonfa to strengthen her close combat skills. Tessen, after a helpful tip, to channel her wind affinity. Chakra blades after their more recent owners had passed, and a mediocre amount of kenjutsu that allowed for proficiency with a chokuto and tanto.

No, she wouldn't say weapons were her strong point, but she could cause a lot of bloodshed, and at that time that was all she needed to do. Plus in the end, despite her longing for them, she had never acquired a proper katana. **''Why not rebuild your meagre collection?''** The fox suggested. **''It seems you have all but started with those tantos, and while you are at it we can add some more swords. Katana, wakizashi, nodachi, whatever you feel like.''** Miyu nodded, it sounded like a good idea, though would probably take a large chunk out of her current funds. But Takumi village...

"Hizashi-sensei," Miyu called softly as the team moved onwards.

"Is anything wrong?" The Hyuga was in charge of flanking the team while Iruka scouted just a little but ahead.

"I was wondering about Takumi Village," The girl replied, "Will they welcome us there?" Hizashi had to think about what she meant specifically, not minding the way Iruka slowed to listen to the conversation.

"Honestly, I can be sure. They are a bit resentful of ninja for almost never responding to their help request despite the fact they supply quality weaponry. But at the same time it's stuck between two waring villages, Konoha and Suna, so the situation there is likely to be unfavourable." He explained slowly.

"Why don't we ever send them help?" Iruka asked. He knew Konoha was a kind village that helped all its allies, why was this place an exception?

"Most of the time we just don't have the resources, with all these wars and such going on. It's also the fact that most missions aren't worthwhile. Either a delivery to a far off land that is likely to be hostile or bandit camps which usually pass over in a few days." The man shrugged, "We'll be going in henged anyway so there's no need to worry about the acts, instead worry about what you're going to look like."

**A/N Thank you for reading.**

**Here we finally see where Ame's alliance lies, and a bit more of Konan (who understands that Miyu would probably remain a mystery.)**

**There's another flash back, now with Neji~ And sadly enough it is now confirmed that Hinata is dead (some of you probably caught the hint in the previous flashback), dying to save her teammates.**

**And the mission is a simple border control run...or is it? Ahahahah**

**Anyway, I'll get going now, I hope to see (metaphorically of course) you all again next time.**


	16. Puppeteer of the red sand

It was midnight when three strangers strode into Takumi village. A stern looking man in his forties with short brown hair, peppered with grey, and dark brown eyes, led the two others in. On his right stood a younger male in his teens, with cropped brown hair and the same dark eyes, looking rather ordinary, and to his left was a slightly older looking woman, sharing the same brown hair cut to her shoulders and slightly lighter shaded eyes. From the traits they shared it was easy to assume they were family. "Quickly, Chie, Hiro. The inn is nearby." The older man ordered gently.

"Hai, Otou-san," His children replied as they quickened their pace. They made their way to a building exuding warm light and stepped through the door, the soft tinkering of a bell alerting the owners of their arrival.

"Welcome." And elderly man said with a small yawn. He hadn't expected anyone else to come tonight so it was a good thing he was a light sleeper, "How can I help you?"

"We need a room for the night," the father explained.

"We have plenty of space tonight, would you like to separate rooms or stay together?" He watched as the parent shared a look with his children.

"Together." He decided, placing a couple of coins on the table.

"Room 14," The innkeeper said, taking the money and handing them a key, "It's a four bed room on the second floor." The man gave him a brief nod and left for his room with his son following behind.

"Thank you." Chie said quietly with a smile, before catching up with her family.

"Make sure you keep out of trouble," their father reminded with a stern look. They were standing outside of the inn in the early afternoon, "And make sure to be back by sunset."

"Hai, Otou-san." The two children replied in sync. He gave them a nod of farewell before ambling down the road to his own destination, a sake bar.

"So what are you going to do, Mi-Chie?" Hiro asked, catching himself at the end of the sentence.

"I'm going to go shopping for some sealing equipment and see what else I can find along the way," She answered, "Feel free to do whatever you want, just be careful alright."

Chie warned.

"Right." He nodded before making his way to a small bookshop, leaving the elder sibling alone. From there she made her way down bustling streets, passing multiple stores and scrutinizing their wares. Takumi village had truly earned its name as the village of artisans. She had a hefty amount of ryo she could spend but would be careful to be sure that each purchase was worth it.

"Over there! Young lady!" A rough voice called, "How about a beautiful hairpin to match your own beauty?" It was flattering for sure, and to keep up her ordinary façade, Chie decided to see his wares. The man did not disappoint, each ornament had been beautifully crafted, from the delicate looking combs to the ornate pins. She spotted a floral hairpin, decorated with several white blossoms that hung down from threads, and picked it up. It would be a nice gift, she decided. That thought led her to do a bit more of her gift shopping here. Chie picked up another pin, which had soft, warm-looking blooms bursting at the end, and a dark wooden comb, decorated with golds and reds.

"Could I get these?" She asked, handing showing them to the vendor.

"Of course. Are they going to be gifts?" He asked, calculating the total.

"Yes," Chie smiled warmly, "I came to the village with my father and brother on one of his delivery trips, while my mother stayed at home. Her body is ill so I hope a gift can help her get better faster."

"She must be happy to have such a thoughtful daughter." The vendor responded, "The total comes to 17,000 ryo." A bit pricey, but for the quality she was getting Chie happily handed over the money. "Thanks for your patronage." She nodded her head in his direction and began to leave when he caught her attention again. "Wait, have this as well, as a gift." He pushed an extra pin into her hand.

"Thank you." She said earnestly. It was simple, with metallic flowers painted a dark blue with leaves hanging off the end. She thanked him once more and discretely sealed the items away into her pouch. Looking around, it soon became obvious she was in a district specialising in female wares. Deciding to check the other areas she walked further down the street and took a left. This was definitely more like it. There was several rough buildings, different blacksmiths, focusing in different tools.

**''Perfect,''** a deep voice purred in her mind. Chie shrugged it off and went to check the closest one. It seemed to specialise in axes, not really what she had in mind so she moved to the next one.

"Welcome back." Her father greeted. The sun was just beginning to set and she was the last one to arrive.

"Did you buy anything?" Hiro asked curiously. He himself had bought a couple of useful and interesting books.

"Yep." Chie was very happy with her purchases, and the fact her funds were only slightly dented.

"It's good you two enjoyed yourselves," the older man stated with a smile, "let's get going then." His children followed him out of the town, mingling with the thinning crowd, and before long they were back in the forest. The trio disappeared into the canopy and immediately began jumping from branch to branch, a fox appearing alongside them. Letting the henge drop, they reverted back to their everyday appearance.

"So what did you buy Miyu?" Hizashi asked curiously, "I know Iruka spent the day flittering through the bookstalls but I didn't manage to spot you."

"I went to get some gifts, sealing equipment, and then visited the blacksmiths." She replied casually. It seemed the bounty she had received from Hanzo would last quite a while.

"Blacksmiths?" He repeated, "You'll definitely have to show me your purchases when we return to Konoha."

"Hai, sensei." Miyu responded. Despite her and Kurama's talks of rebuilding her collection she hadn't bought more than two different ones. It looked like it was going to be a slow process.

**''If you were not so picky it would be quicker.'' **Kurama grumbled. Miyu shrugged, she had only picked the ones that 'felt' right.

The hours dragged on and they took a single short break to recharge their energy. Hizashi was happy his team seemed fit enough to endure the journey. It was a bit tasking to ask it of a genin squad, but Iruka and Miyu were more than able.

"I can sense four people up ahead." Iruka announced, once again showing his apparent talent. "What do we do?"

"That's the team we're reliving," Their sensei explained, his Byakugan activated, easily identifying the ninja. "Let's head up and meet them." Their break was cut short as the three dashed to their targets. The jounin and his team were on high alert when they popped out of the trees, one of his team having drawn his sword. "Relax, Keiji, it's me." Hizashi, greeted with a small wave.

"Hizashi." The man was definitely relieved. He gave a signal and the drawn sword was sheathed. "It's good to see you're doing well. Is this your team?" He looked towards Iruka and then Miyu, "They look a bit young."

"Yes. This is Umino Iruka and Uchiha Miyu." Hizashi introduced, "Guys, this man is Takahashi Keiji and his team." His students gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Uchiha, huh... I wouldn't have guessed it if I hadn't already known." Keiji commented. "Anyway this here is my team." He swept a hand over his trio. They were of varying ages but two looked vaguely familiar, especially when the one with the katana coughed a bit. "Morino Ibiki, Gekko Hayate and Itou Tokara." Ibiki seemed to be the oldest by a couple of years and still had his bandana, which seemed like a trait among his team. Miyu had never met Tokara or even heard of him, though the light-haired ninja seemed alright, he held himself with a confidence that could only be backed by skill.

**''Gekko, he would be a good sparring partner for practising kenjutsu.'' **Kurama intoned. He had never left the trees, instead opting to watch from his vantage point while keeping his presence unknown.

"As you can see, my team is pretty tired so we'll be taking our leave," Keiji informed, "I look forward to seeing your genins in action next time Hizashi." He gave a signal and he and his students soon disappeared from sight.

"Let's get going." Hizashi ordered, "We're close to the border but I don't like leaving it unattended."

"Hai sensei."

The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind was a contrary thing. On the Land of Fire's side was near-endless forest, full of vivid flora and healthy fauna, which thinned out the further away one went from its centre. On the other hand the Land of Wind was a vast desert, rising and falling dunes underneath the harsh sun and the frequent sandstorms, only showing signs of green at its very edges. For two days already Team 7 moved along the border, diligently guarding it in the uncomfortable heat. It was tiring and tedious, Miyu spending most of her time sending out shadow clones to train somewhere away from prying, all-seeing eyes, and Iruka could usually be sneaking peaks into his newest books. Hizashi wasn't too happy either. In the beginning he had though it would be a great change of scenery, but had apparently forgotten how boring it could get.

It was late afternoon on the third day when Miyu was jolted out of the typical border control mindset. Her head ached slightly as she received a sudden influx of memories from her clones, causing her to falter in her step and catch the attention of her teammates. "Are you alright Miyu-chan?" Hizashi asked worried, seeing her face scrunch up in pain before morphing in to shock and then horror.

"Dammit! We need to get out of here and fast!" Miyu shouted sifting through her information to get an estimate of time.

**''He will be here in a couple of minutes,''** Kurama answered simply. He wanted to see how this would turn out, if his former container had improved enough since entering the past.

"What is it?" Iruka asked, "An enemy?"

"Yes," Miyu hissed, "And he's heading this way, quickly."

"Shouldn't we confront him them?" The brunette asked confused. Wasn't that the whole point of border control?

"Not this ninja." She tried to usher her team away but Hizashi seemed to have his own plans.

"Wait, Iruka is right," The Hyuga said tensely with his dojutsu activated, "We have to see what this foreign shinobi wants and if he can be deemed a threat." Their youngest member sighed. She was hoping for an easy mission, but this just complicated it that much more. Though, to be fair, it was her own foolishness that brought on this curious stranger.

**''He is here.''** The fox took up a wary stance, lowering his body closer to the ground, and the rest of the team followed in suit, sliding into cautious defensive stances.

"Found you." A monotonous voice called as a cloaked figure appeared in a swirl of sand in front of them. She wouldn't call his voice emotionless though, since she could hear the underlying irritation. "How interesting." He didn't seem older than fifteen, with brown eyes and short red hair. The rather handsome young teen had a fragile look about him as if he would blow over in a harsh wind, though Miyu certainly knew that wasn't the case.

**''Looks can be deceiving as you have heard and experienced,''** many times before. Kurama expressed wisely. Iruka didn't appear to recognize the older boy though their sensei definitely did.

"Sasori of the Red Sand," The Hyuga named with a hostile glare, "What are you doing here at the borders?"

"A Hyuga? A fox, and a couple of children..." Sasori tilted his head to the side as he examined the team, stopping when his eyes landed on the young girl, "Imagine my surprise when I saw over fifty small children, all identical girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, training out in the harsh desert." Miyu cursed under her breath as Hizashi sent her a glance that foretold the tongue lashing she would receive later.

"You still haven't answered my question," He stated calmly with an edge to his voice, "What are you doing here, shinobi of Sunagakure?" Iruka without knowing the full situation, remained silent, observing the conversation carefully.

"Isn't it obvious?" The redhead answered, "I came to see the child who could create so many shadow clones, more than most jounin, apparently without looking even the slightest bit winded." He never took his piercing gaze of her and she stared back defiantly.

"So now what?" Miyu wanted to be anywhere except near the master puppeteer, "You've seen me, now leave."

"I don't think so. I want to see, what else can you do?" His wanted to test out his puppets, and where better than some interesting enemy nin. Besides, he needed more practice material if 'that' technique was to be completed. He reached into cloak and pulled out a black scroll and held it out for them to see as it unfurled. Written in the centre was a single character, the kanji for crow.

"Iruka, Miyu, the relief team should be on their way," Hizashi stated, moving in front of his students, "Quickly, escape and alert the ninja in command of the situation."

"Sensei..." Iruka was reluctant to leave, his gut feeling telling him to be especially wary of this new character.

"Hizashi-sensei," Miyu cut in, "I think it'd be better for you to leave." In the end it had been her own actions which had born such dire consequences, she wouldn't let anyone else fight in place of her, especially against such a dangerous foe.

"What are you talking about?!" The Hyuga asked surprised, was she trying to be a hero? He knew, prodigy or not, she would not be able to match up to the experience of a war veteran.

"You'll be faster, a lot faster at getting help. And against Sasori, you're at a disadvantage."

"Disadvantage?" Iruka asked. Hizashi frowned at her words though the puppet user seemed curious as well.

"Please explain." Sasori prompted. She was a just genin... right?

"You use puppets," Miyu began scrutinizing the scroll, "I have no idea what poisons or weapons you've rigged them with but it's definitely a bad opponent for a taijutsu expert who relies on close combat fighting."

"And you think you can do better?" Said taijutsu user was more than irked that his own student seemed to have some many doubts about his skill, though to be fair she was mostly correct.

"You've heard of my... 'other' bloodline, right." She asked quietly, not daring to let Sasori in on her possible abilities. Both of her teammates gave vague nods, accelerated healing, if they remembered correctly. "Well, that makes me the best person to act as a decoy."

"Hn." If it had been a different situation Miyu would have laughed at how well he had managed to perform the Uchiha's signature grunt. As it was, she settled for a small smile, watching him with sharp, resolved eyes. Hizashi, contrary to how he acted most times, was not as nice as one was led to believe. He was a ninja, a master at the art of deception, and rarely showed his more disliked side. He was convinced only his twin brother knew how harsh he could be, and right now, at the possibility of sacrificing a child, he truly wanted to see her full capabilities.

"Bloodline?" Sasori had heard part of what was said and his curiosity overwhelmed his impatience at the moment.

"Oh, yes," She stared at him with fierce determination, "I am very hard to kill and if you let these two go I'd be happy to show you." He looked between the group for a couple of moments before giving a slight nod. He had already defeated a many Hyuga, and unless the boy was also going to claim he had a rare bloodline as well, the red head was content to let him run off. And then, when they returned with reinforcements, he would kill the rest of them. Hizashi cursed under his breath. Sasori was like a predator who had chosen his prey and wouldn't be swayed for anything.

"Iruka, find a place to set up that seal, you remember how to do it right?" Hizashi asked. In the end neither of them would escape. Iruka gave a curt nod and pulled out a blank scroll as well as sealing equipment. He didn't waste time and quickly began a series of complex strokes. "Miyu, you only have to hold Sasori off until that seal is done," He took up his guard in front of Iruka, "I will keep him protected so keep you attack focused on Sasori. As soon as you are in danger though I won't hesitate to step in." After a month with her new sensei, Miyu knew him well enough to know he wouldn't hesitate to switch bodies with her if she got into a troublesome situation. He had given her a rare opportunity to fight and truly test her skills while keeping her team safe.

**''Now, how shall we go about this?''** Kurama asked as she stepped forward.

"Are you done?" Sasori drawled. He didn't feel like waiting any longer.

"Yes, thank you for waiting," She answered, most ninja weren't so...'kind'

**''We have spectators,''** the fox reminded her, '**'do not show all our trumps.''** _I will do as much as necessary to keep them safe_. She responded in turn.

"Kurama, Restriction level 1 release!" The blonde girl called, as power surged inside her. Hizashi wouldn't have believed it happened if he hadn't seen it. The fox, now as big as a horse, with two thrashing tails, breathing out a deep cloud of smoke.

"Interesting," Sasori stated with a smirk, "You kept me waiting long enough, Karasu!" The marking on his scroll vanished as a pupped flew out, immediately diving for the girl. The familiar three eyed, four armed, figure taken down by Kurama as the fox pounced. His jaws were alight with burning flames as he bit down, though he had to retreat before doing any substantial damage due to the protruding blades on the puppet's body, glistening with unknown poison. Miyu quickly raised a kunai to deflect the poisonous senbon shot at her from the dolls mouth.

"Can you burn it Ku?" The fox smirked, seeing the charred parts of his previous bite.

''Of course.'' He pulled his head back, charging up a fiery attack while Miyu formed a couple of quick seals.

"Futon: Daitoppa!" She pushed roughly twice the needed chakra into the mediocre attack, transforming it into a rending gust. Kurama released his own attack, Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu, from what Hizashi could see. The two attacks synched together perfectly creating a deadly wave of flames heading directly at the puppet user.

"Sanshouo." Sasori pulled out a second puppet, the salamander appearing to block the attack with its iron frill. "A fox that can perform jutsu? That would make a wonderful toy."

Kurama growled threateningly, watching as the attack was deflected by the puppet's superior defence.

"Kurama, take down its frill," Miyu commanded, "The hinge by its sides are its weak points-" She pulled her kunai back up and deflected Karasu's bladed arm. A second one came up and she raised another of her won arms, jumping back before the last two could slice her. It was obvious this level of skill wasn't going to get her anywhere other than the grave. She tensed and brought her left hand up into the ram seal "Kai!" The resistance seals on her body glowed, and she already felt a lot lighter. The difference could be clearly seen when Karasu went in for a second attack and she parried each of his limbs before kicking him away.

"But what is a pet without his owner," Sasori pondered aloud. It was either Konoha was training super ninja or this girl was something special, something to be dissected and examined. He upped the ante, adding more chakra treads between him and his puppet, making it faster and its attacks more accurate than the lazy work from before.

"Kuh," His attacks were hitting heavier as well Miyu noted with a grunt. She glanced to the side to see Ku had almost detached the defensive frill, just a little longer before she could burn the puppets.

"You shouldn't look away from your enemy." The puppeteer informed. She was slightly thankful for his warning and jerked her head to the side, mainly avoiding the giant spike protruding out of Karasu's mouth. It scraped her cheek, and she swiped a kunai against the wound, making sure to bleed any poison out. Sasori watched with fascination as the wound healed over without even a mark in a matter of seconds. He missed how his second puppet finally succumbed to the fox, who crunched straight the enhanced wooden body, the iron frill laying uselessly on the ground.

**''I'm ready, Kit.''**

"..." He muttered something inaudible under his breath and the doll swung around fast, catching her abdomen with a hidden scythe in its stomach. Once again Miyu bleed the poison out before he wound healed over. It took slightly longer and Sasori halted in his attack, observing with increased fascination as the significantly larger cut disappeared.

"...Perfect."

"Now Kurama!" The fox shot off a large flamethrower, verging on white-hot, slamming into the remaining puppets body and sending it to the ground. "Kaze no Yaiba." The blade of wind dug deeply into the puppets body, while the fire burned away the connecting chakra strings. Hizashi watched on amazed. Was this the true skill level of his student?

"Perfect!" Sasori repeated, unaffected by the loss of his tools, "How utterly perfect!" He pulled out a larger red scroll from behind him and Miyu could spot the number of different names written one it. "I have never felt closer to eternal beauty!" The delirious teen exclaimed, "A body that never scars, I want it!" Hundreds of chakra strings stretched from his body into the scroll, causing ripples on the parchments surface, "Akahigi: Hyakki no Soen!" Like a scene from a nightmare a hundred red cloak figures rose out of the scroll hanging suspended in the air. She hadn't heard of this except from Sakura who had tried to describe the technique to her. The lifeless, preserved corpses staring blankly at her.

She could spot a couple of Uchiha in the group as well as Hyuga that must be riling up Hizashi's blood.

"Restriction level 2, release." Kurama didn't question her choice. They would definitely need more fire power. He increased size and additional tail comforted Hizashi slightly.

Though, the real question was how far the fox could go.

"What about it?" Sasori asked grandly, "Why don't you just submit to me? And I promise I won't damage you too badly." She shook her head. Iruka looked close to finished with his seal. It would just be a little longer. "So be it, I wouldn't mind seeing that wonderful ability again." He simply swung his arm and already half the army was diving towards her.

It was impossible to block every attack the trained, older shinobi continued to throw at her, impossible to dodge every jutsu they performed and definitely impossible for her to dispose of more than a mere handful of them. Kurama flung as many as he could away from his partner with a sweep of his tail, biting as many as he could fit in his jaws and slashing as many he could reach. Worse of all, a wound covered Miyu was looked over to see the remaining half of the army swarming her sensei.

"Leave them alone!" She growled ferally, her eyes darkening dangerously.

"Then submit!" Sasori answered with a smirk. Soon, one way or another, he would be getting his eternal beauty. Seeking to antagonize her further he sent more puppets towards her team, specifically Iruka, who was trying desperately to focus on the seal. Hizashi was too caught up stopping the majority that it couldn't be helped one slipped through.

"Stop!" Images of the past filled her head as she tore through the small army. Dismembered limbs, blood-soaked grounds, gutted teammates. Kunai embedded themselves in her body. Jutsus burned and tore through her flesh, as she broke out of their suffocating grasp.

"Activate!" Iruka finished just as a heavy sword came down towards him, landing with a sickening sound. His brown eyes widened at the maimed body before him, "M-miyu!" The blade had clearly cut through her right shoulder, undoubtedly smashing through her collar bone.

**''Oi!'' **Kurama barked loudly, **''you are not invincible so stop acting like you are or you will really die!''** As if to prove his point Miyu coughed out a mouthful of blood, drawing in a shuddering breath. A couple of kunai slid out of her limbs due to the movement, and clattered on the ground. Hizashi couldn't do anything but try to prevent any further attackers through, his palms flying out in different directions as he disabled more and more opponents. The human puppet pulled the sword out of her body and prepared for another attack, stopping dead in his tracks as the girl glared up at him with blazing red eyes.

"Amaterasu!" Iruka watched as the black flames consumed the ninja's body, leaving absolutely no trace of behind. The girl staggered, holding her shoulder as a flash of yellow appeared in the midst of battle.

"Miyu?!" She turned to face the voice, instead collapsing onto a panicked Iruka.

**''Rest, kit.''** The demon fox said softly, **''they are safe... you are safe...''**

**A/N Thank you for reading.**

**A hopefully not confusing intro and a decent battle scene (a little cliche? I hope not.) I tried fairly hard to try and show her skill levels compared to a high ranking ninja we all know (and love (secretly (or maybe not so secretly...))).**

**Their henge identities was Hizashi as the stern and strict father. Iruka as Hiro, the well-behaved son and Miyu as Chie, the charming daughter. Fun times.**

**Once again, a simple C-rank gone askew. And Hizashi wasn't quite the nice guy I made him out to be (I mean he's still pretty cool but a bit more ruthless than one might expect...) He is a ninja who can be cold and calculating at times, yet kind and friendly at others.**

**Sasori may seem slightly out of character. I aimed to highlight his current obsession (before he decided turning himself into a puppet was a good idea), the whole 'Eternal beauty' thing (which he keeps for most his life). And I thought he would appreciate Miyu's super accelerated healing/no scar ability. He was essentially toying with her the whole way through so, slightly due to her reluctance to use the sharingan and how she couldn't possibly reveal more of Kurama's powers, Miyu wasn't going to win that battle.**

**And Miyu jumped into the way of a sword...yay. She's going to take a while to heal that... her first mission is over, even though she collapsed at the end, and her Sharingan is revealed.**

**I wonder who the mysterious flash of yellow is...**

**Next chapter; hospital recuperation, council meetings, Rin's fate, time skip~ (Nearing the ninetails attack.)**

**As always, please drop a review if you're in the mood, otherwise just stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	17. The aftermath of war

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

"Please... don't take him away from me! Don't take any more of my family away from me!" The ever-familiar blonde with bloodstained hair, trailing freely down her back and wartorn clothes, staggered towards the man she'd come to know as her brother. "Please!" She crouched by his body, noting the tiny shallow breaths, he struggled with.

"Na-ru...?" He turned his jade green eyes towards her, reaching up towards her with a blood covered hand. He had been taken down by a poisoned weapon, though from the way it had torn through his abdomen, it looked like it was going to be fatal regardless of the toxin. He was dying. His hand landed on her cheek, disrupting the steady flow of tears.

"Gaara..." Naru's vision blurred as the tears fell from her face. She couldn't lose him too, she wouldn't! "Just, hang on! Please...Sakura will be here any minute now." The red head blinked slowly. She should know it was hopeless, yet time after time she refused to face reality.

"N-naru," She tried to shush him, seeing as it was paining him to talk but he merely shook his head. "Stop crying... it doesn't suit you," He said slowly, smiling as she tried to furiously wipe away her tears for him.

"Please, stop talking Gaara," Naru pleaded, "Don't strain yourself." He gave a rough cough and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. These were his finals words, whether she wished to believe it or not, and he had to say them before his heart gave out.

"Thank you... Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto," He began with small brief stops in between, "For showing me how to love... how it was more than just a word. For healing my heart... and mending the ties between my family. For cherishing me... and becoming my... hope... all of our hope...I entrust you with the future...we all...believe in you."

"Don't entrust me with something that precious!" Naru shouted, tearing up again, "Live! And then we'll protect it together!"

"...I'm getting a bit... tired," The insomniac red head said softly, "I guess I should tell them hello... from Shikamaru..." The light in his eyes quickly began to fade, "Smile, Na-ru..." his arm went limp and his hand fell from her cheek, landing on the ground with a soft thump, as he gazed blankly up at the stormy sky.

"No, no, no, no!" She searched frantically for any sort of pulse, "Gaara, please, answer me!" He stared at her with now lifeless eyes and his rapidly cooling body. "Gaara...

AARAHG!" She screamed into the sky, howling like an animal that had lost a member of its pack. Birds scattered and her voice rang out in the empty field. Her teammates heard her cry and hurried towards her, finding the poor girl trying her hardest to smile as she wept over the body of the Fifth Kazekage.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

Miyu started awake, touching her cheek to feel the leftover tears from her dream. Unsurprisingly, it looked like she was back in Konoha's hospital, and very heavily bandaged.

**''Kit,''** Kurama seemed relieved to know she was awake, **''you have finally awoken. I will come see you in a moment.''** He dropped out of the connection, leaving the girl back in solitude. Carefully, she tested each of her limbs, slowly flexing the muscles and checking for any pain. Other than a slight ache from her shoulder, most of her wounds seemed to be healed. Left with nothing to do other than lay there Miyu was swept up in a storm of her own thoughts. She assumed it was the close proximity of Suna which triggered the more recent flashback... or maybe the red of the puppeteer's hair...Sasori, she wondered what happened after she collapsed. Kurama had assured her before she blacked out that her team was safe so that was one less thing to worry about.

"I need to get stronger," Miyu sighed to herself, she didn't want to waste all her precious time in a hospital. The door swung slid open quietly, catching her attention, and a tired looking Iruka walked in with a fresh vase of flowers. He looked up and met her eyes, dropping the ceramic piece in surprise.

"Miyu!" The girl winced at the loud shattering sound.

"It's nice to see your fine." Miyu replied with a small smile. "How have you been?"

"Worried." The boy stepped over the mess and quickly made his way to the bed, "How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need me to call anyone?" He fussed over her like a flustered mother hen.

"Calm down Iruka, I'm alright-"

"Alright?!" He all but shouted, "You were nearly sliced in two! Do you know how many kunai the doctors pulled out from your body?!"

"But I'm fine now." She reassured. The boy calmed back down and sat in a chair beside her.

"...I was afraid y'know," He admitted quietly, "That Sasori guy was a monster, and we were going up against an army of zombies. But most of all I was afraid you weren't going to wake up." She listened to him carefully. At times she had forgotten he was just a nine year old boy, and now she could see that their first real mission was taking a toll on him. "I'll train harder, I'll get stronger, so please don't throw yourself in front of danger like that again," Iruka gritted his teeth, he had never felt more useless than in that moment, watching a small girl take a blow meant for him, "I promise I will get stronger, strong enough to protect myself and my precious people." His resolved mirrored her own and she had no doubt his determination would be just as great.

"We'll get stronger together." She decided, "Hopefully strong enough to stay out of a hospital." They both cracked small smiles.

"Nice to see you're awake." A stern voice called from the doorway.

"Hizashi-sensei." Iruka greeted. The Hyuga walked in with black clothes hanging over his

"I wasn't sure if you were awake, but thankfully you are. Good timing I guess." Their sensei rambled slightly. He put the black clothes on the bed, showing them two be two small kimonos. The blonde recognized them instantly and froze "Both of you get dressed quickly." He said with a small sigh. Iruka nodded, taking his and hopping behind a curtain.

"Who?" She asked softly, tentatively reaching for the soft material. Hizashi gave the small girl a pitying look.

"Nohara Rin."

A handful of ninja, all dressed in black, stood silently around a coffin. Their heads, bowed in a sign of respect as they mourned their most recent death. On top of the coffin was a small frame which showed the deceased. A young girl with short brown hair and purple markings on her cheeks. There were no tears. It was a solemn and desolate affair. The Hokage had arrived in his own funeral robes, speaking a few words for the girl as he did with all his shinobi. When Hiruzen took the chance to gaze around the small field he spotted the last arrivals. Her certainly did not expect the small girl to be up and about so soon, but was proven wrong as she calmly strode up to the coffin. There were some small whispers and startled looks as the ninja made way for her. She reached the casket and spent a long time staring at the photo before gently placing a small decorative comb on the top.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, "I'm sorry for getting back so late. I'm sorry for not being able to save you." She clenched her fists tightly and bower her head, saying farewell to the girl she had failed to save. Undoubtedly one of the many lives she had let fade away...

"Miyu, I'm so glad you're ok." Minato quickly walked up to the girl and swept her into a gentle hug, "Please, don't worry me like that again." Kakashi trailed a bit behind him, the light which he had only just recently regained once again absent from his eyes. He was definitely worse off than before.

"Are you alright Kakashi?" Miyu asked him quietly once Minato released her. He blinked as if only just noticing her, and thought her sentiment was strange.

"I'm...fine." He replied emotionlessly. And he was, compared to the small girl covered in bandages underneath her kimono. His sensei sighed sadly, it was almost as if he had lost all his students. Minato couldn't remember the last time he had felt so inadequate. He had let his team fall apart and had lost not one but two promising students to the shinigami.

Hopefully, he prayed, that Kakashi would recover.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Miyu turned to see the Hokage beside her teammates, "But if possible I would like to borrow some of your time." Minato sighed, it was going to be a long day. The five of them were led towards the Hokage tower, all the while villagers parted allowing them a generous berth. The journey was silent and uneventful and filled with lingering sadness, the group quickly finding themselves inside the Hokage office.

"Well, let's move onto one of our first topics of business." He picked up the mission report Hizashi had written up, "Uchiha Miyu, on you last mission, which was rather unlucky, you encountered and battled against an S-rank ninja. In recognition of you skill and ability I would like to promote you to chuunin, congratulations." He handed the stunned girl the signature flak jacket, smiling amusedly at her expression.

"...Thank you." She eventually said, accepting the article of clothing.

"Now that that's out of the way we have something more important to discuss and this concerns both Kakashi and Miyu."

"Is this about the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Hizashi asked abruptly. His had seen the eyes of his youngest student through the crowd of zombie ninja. The pattern had been unlike anything he had seen before, vastly different from the tomoe of the normal Sharingan. And of course, as a rival clan of the Uchiha, he knew all about their dojutsu.

"Mangekyo?" Kakashi echoed, he hadn't heard about such a thing yet, even from Obito who boasted about his clan's kekkei genkai.

"The Sharingan actually has two stages of release," Sarutobi proceeded to explain, "First the standard Sharingan, with different levels of mastery indicated by the number of tomoe, and then the Mangekyo. The stimulus for the first stage is merely feeling a powerful emotion whereas the Mangekyo is a bit more specific. It comes from the trauma experienced by the death of someone very close to the user, which usually occurs after witnessing the event first hand." He spoke softly not exactly wanting to upset anyone with his hypothesis. "Or possibly just death itself..." he pondered.

"Now, the Mangekyo Sharingan is extremely powerful, but it comes at a great cost," Hiruzen warned, "Not only the cost of achieving it there is also the added cost of its power."

"Cost?" Iruka asked worried.

"The Mangekyo requires immense amounts of chakra to be able to sustain it, and while the techniques are indeed fearsome, they will slowly deteriorate the uses eye sight the more they rely on the dojutsu." Hiruzen explained.

"So, essentially you're saying that if these two use the Mangekyo Sharingan they will slowly become blind?" Hizashi surmised receiving a nod of confirmation. It was strange how vastly contradicting the two dojutsu of the village were. One supporting taijutsu, the other focusing on genjutsu and ninjutsu. One all seeing, the other resulting in blindness.

"Blind?!" Minato panicked slightly. "Miyu, Kakashi! How many fingers am I holding up?" Both gave him similar expressions and responded in synch.

"Two." They answered simply enough. Miyu accepted him concern whilst Kakashi on the other hand wondered if his sensei had forgotten his other eye.

**''Your eyes would never hinder you.''** Kurama stated in her mind, his current location a mystery. **''The amount of chakra, with our shared reserves, is of no concern. They have been transplanted thrice, once between brothers and the other with an impeccable technique, and even if that were not the case your healing factor would have slowed the deterioration down tremendously, possibly even stopping it depending on how frequent your use was. It is perfect for someone like you.''** Miyu wouldn't admit it but the fox's words unsettled her, she had never wanted this cursed dojutsu.

"There's not much we can do about it since the dojutsu has naturally manifested, though I recommend avoiding the use of if." The Hokage informed, watching both ninja nod obediently. "Other than that, you are dismissed," He gave a small smile and addressed the whole group, "I'm sure you're all tired." The ninja quietly left, no one in the group speaking as they made their way outside. For some it was the information they were trying to process that stopped them from speaking and for others it was the sheer weariness that weighed heavily on their minds.

"Minato," Hizashi began, placing a hand on each of his students' shoulders, "If you don't mind I'd like to take Miyu to the Hyuga compound and debrief her. I know Kushina is eager to see her but I would rather do it now than later."

"I guess that's alright," Minato gave the small girl a once over, she didn't look like she would just keel over anytime soon even though she was fresh out of the hospital. "She'll get to see her later tonight anyway."

"So Miyu," She shifted as her sensei hit her with a piercing stare, "Is there anything that we, as you team, should know about?"

**''Even without the Byakugan, a Hyuga can be fearsome.''** Kurama commented drily. She had finally found him, or more accurately he had found her, on the way to the compound, and was now sitting by her side.

"What do you want to know?" She asked, wondering if it was even possible to lie to this man. It didn't help that Iruka was looking at her expectantly. If anything it would probably be harder to lie to her former, younger sensei.

"Let's start off with the facts first then," Hizashi sighed, "You are intelligent, far passed your years. It's unlikely but not impossible, as Konoha has many of these prodigies. But not only that, you have and aptitude for seals." She stayed silent as she listened to his analysis, "A skill high enough you've managed to teach Iruka through the beginner levels, and can even create some yourself."

"Sorry." Iruka whispered as she wondered where he had found out about their study sessions.

"Iruka does not hide his newly developed sealing skills but you do, and frankly I had no idea why, though now I think I've figured it out, or at least part of the reason." Hizashi watched out for any body cues she might give. He was more perceptive than she gave him credit for, something she was starting to regret. "You like to keep your abilities secret. I don't know whether it's because you want to have a trump or merely feel uncomfortable with those around you knowing, but you will never elaborate on your skills unless asked specifically. You may be amnesiac, but surely you've found enough reason to trust in this village."

"I would stake my life for Konoha." Miyu responded seriously, "In here I have found family and friends, but I cannot trust every single individual, even if I want to. I'd rather keep some things a secret than someone I don't want to know finding out."

"Who are you talking about?" Iruka asked. So far he hadn't met anyone in the village that seemed particularly evil.

"I don't know yet. But there will definitely be people I find as my enemies out there." She stated confidently. She was lying to some extent, that much Hizashi could tell, but at least her comment about dying for Konoha seemed completely truthful.

"Right, well let's talk about something else why don't we?" Hizashi suggested, eyeing the fox, "Why don't you tell us more about Kurama?"

"What about him." Miyu proceeded cautiously.

"Just the general scope of his abilities, what he can or cannot do." He narrowed his eyes slightly, "But more importantly what he is." His eyes had seen it all, no matter what he reported to his superior. The chakra coils that almost composed the animal's whole being, the transformations that added tails and became more demonic and less fox-like with each form.

"Is he a summon?" Iruka asked.

**''Maybe it is better for them to know now then later,''** Kurama yipped.

"No...He is, for lack of a better description, chakra."

"Huh?" It was clear she had confused Iruka.

"I don't know how he came to be," and that was true enough seeing as she had never paid attention to history, "But he exists."

"So an entity of chakra with a form of intelligence." Hizashi felt himself shiver involuntarily, "Like the Bijuu..." He uttered under his breath.

"Exactly like them." Miyu replied, surprising him with the fact she had heard.

"So how many tails?" He asked. Iruka merely looked back and forth between the two, trying to somehow understand the serious conversation.

"Seven." She replied instantly, and much to her surprise, he laughed.

"I would bet the small fortune I have that you've lied." He said confidently and entirely accurately, "It's nine isn't it?" Kurama watched him with a sharp gaze, what would this man do with the knowledge he had gained?

"That's-" He cut her off again.

"You're also a very bad liar." Hizashi said with a small smile, "I can understand why you would lie about that though. Nine tails would give a very suspicious image. But at the same time I can't help but wonder what we've got on our hands here. A pseudo-Kyuubi?" He knew it couldn't have the actual being seeing as he already knew where it had been sealed up.

"...More or less." She answered with a sigh. "Will you tell?"

"Not unless I have to, I believe people are allowed to keep their secrets. But I want to understand my team. What exactly I have on my hands." The Hyuga explained giving the girl a small sense of relief, though she was surprised that he would go as far as to keep it from the Hokage himself.

**''Someone's coming,''** Kurama informed telepathically. Not even a moment after they heard footsteps and a polite knock.

"Hizashi, are you busy? I brought Neji-kun with me," A soft voice called.

"Ah, come in Hitomi." By the lack of honorifics Miyu could tell the two were close. The door to Hizashi's office slid in and Miyu felt her breath catch in her throat. Yet again she was unprepared for a chance meeting. The woman was breathtaking. Long, dark purple hair hung to her waist and framed her face, while her eyes were of the typical Hyuga lavender.

She stood elegantly in a royal purple kimono with a small dark haired child in her arms. A kind disposition, and warm expression, she reminded Miyu of Hinata, a slightly pregnant Hinata.

"Oh, who are our guests?" Hitomi asked, sending a smile at the two students. Miyu caught sight of Iruka blushing from her peripheral vision and smirked slightly. She couldn't blame him, after all the Hyuga clan was rather renowned for their beauty.

"This is Umino Iruka and Uchiha Miyu, my genin team. Iruka, Miyu, this is Hyuga Hitomi, my sister-in-law," So it was Hinata's mother, and the boy in her arms... "And my son Neji." The child was small, less than a year old, with a patch of dark-brown hair on his head. He smiled as his name was called, turning and reaching out for his father. Hitomi laughed quietly and handed the child over.

"He seems to always miss you." She turned back towards the doorway, "I promised my husband I would meet him right about now so I'll take my leave if you don't mind. It was a pleasure meeting you Miyu-chan, Iruka-kun." She winked at the small boy who seemed as red as a tomato, and slid the door shut before she walked off.

"Don't mind her." Hizashi laughed "She likes to joke around." Miyu would have never expected it. While watching her sensei and his child Miyu felt her heart warm at the sight.

They both looked so happy and peaceful together.

"Would you like to hold him?" Hizashi asked, seeing the way her eyes were glued to his little Neji.

"Can I?" His answer was to gently place the baby in her arms and she instinctively shifted them in place to support him properly.

"Have you held a baby before?" He asked curiously.

"I guess I have." Miyu replied with unusual sadness. Neji blinked staring into her eyes and giggled lightly, making soft babbling sounds.

"Oh? He likes you." The father commented, "I think he secretly has a thing for most women, especially the pretty ones...maybe a future prediction?" To imagine his student in her later years he used Minato as a template, adding more feminine qualities. To be honest Minato would probably make a great woman...

"I'm sure he'll grow up to be just as pretty." Miyu said with a small laugh. Neji had begun to tug at Kurama's ears after he moved closer to look.

**''Brat,''** The fox grumbled as the child gripped harder.

"Hizashi-sensei, what happened after I collapsed on that mission, by the way?" Miyu wondered how they managed to get out, "Did I miss anything important?"

"Well, after Iruka activated the special summoning seal Minato created, he was transported via his Hiraishin. He went on a small scale massacre after seeing your state, and 'killed' nearly all of Sasori's army. Though, when he reached the puppeteer's body it turned out to be a very well made puppet. We don't know when he made the switch or if we were battling against a puppet the whole time but the whole thought is disconcerting."

'**'To have been beaten by a mere puppet... We need a lot more training.''** The fox had taken to waving his tail at the boy and watching him futilely try to catch it.

"Your condition was horrendous, and by all means anyone else would have been dead, but I guess that's where your healing factor kicks in. We were flashed to the hospital by Minato where they immediately placed you in surgery, but there was little they could do with your wounds constantly healing. In the end they set your bones, and flushed out as much poison as they could before leaving your body to do the rest." Iruka finished.

"So Sasori is still alive then." She was a bit unnerved by the Suna nin and would rather not face him and his zombies again. She knew he had been toying with her and had no desire to face him seriously.

"Yes, but there are a couple of pluses from that encounter." Hizashi added happily, "For one, we recovered many of our comrades' bodies and were able to give them a proper burial. Among that most Ninja controlled by Sasori had bounties on their head which we were able to pick up. Here," He tossed her a scroll, "That's your share from the ninja your fox took down. I would say I was envious of Minato's share but frankly I'm just going to spend the money on some good quality tea," He sighed happily, just thinking of the possibilities.

"Did anything else happen while I was asleep?" She asked, checking the scroll for its amount. She almost choked in surprise.

**''I think I did pretty well. Ku was definitely proud of himself.''** It looked like they could splurge on weaponry now.

"More good news," Hizashi stated, "The war is finally over." A smile graced her face, one that was so bright it stunned the occupants of the room. That was marvellous news.

**A/N Thanks for reading :D**

**So a short summary;**

**A rather depressing dream of Gaara (I love that tanuki~). I wonder who he'll be greeting for Shikamaru...take a guess, you'll find out soon enough...**

**Miyu wakes up from a two week coma (fun times) and Iruka is well on his way to becoming an intesnse dude. Rin...uh...dies (As bad as it sounds I feel like she needed to die.**

**Miyu won't be able to save everyone).**

**If you didn't guess it, the souvenirs from Takumi are for Mikoto (Warm blooms), Rin (Comb) and Kushina (White blossoms). It doesn't play a very central part except for Rin's gift.**

**Kurama has somehow been put to the side for now in favour of the whole Sharingan ordeal and Hizashi is being a shifty yet very insightful shinobi. Miyu ended up fighting Sasori's puppet all along (right now it's like she has all the weapons and tools she needs but has too learn how to adequately harness them).**

**The war is over Woooh! And we get to see almost born Hinata and baby Neji (who will be a cute little prodigy). Hyuga Hitomi (named after her beautiful eyes, fitting for a Hyuga right?) is Hinata's mother. Her name also starts with a 'H', might as well keep the now she also has adequate funds.**

**Kakashi and Miyu's relatinship is as distant as ever but I swear it'll change...when she's older...which will hopefully be within the next 4-ish chapters...**

**Well we'll just have to wait and see.**

**I look forward to reviews. Thanks for reading yet again.**


	18. The Second Phase: October 10th

Kushina had been mothering Kakashi when she sensed a group of familiar chakra signals and went to open the door for them. She was greeted with an unreadable Miyu, impassive Kurama, melancholic Minato and a surprisingly solemn Jiraiya. With a sigh she waved them in, seating the group with Kakashi, and rolling up her sleeves. There was quite a lot of work to be done before she would be able to pull them all out of their depressing states. In the aftermath of war, Kakashi had taken to visiting the memorial stone for twice as long, his reasoning being that he now had twice as many people to visit. Strangely enough, or maybe not so much, Miyu came with him, and they both just spent the time quietly staring at the many names. Kakashi usually alternated between looking at the stone, his right hand and then the girl. She hadn't once asked how Rin had died and he was in no hurry to tell her. Eventually her fox would pop out of some bushes, at exactly the same time each day, and she would leave for some youthful training. The Hatake would follow along and watch their ridiculous routine before then walking her back to the compound and then heading to Minato's apartment for breakfast. It was an odd fact that he now spent more time in his sensei's home than his own due to constantly being pulled in for meals, not that he was complaining...anymore that is.

And slowly their relationship changed from niece and student of Namikaze Minato to what could be considered friends.

"Kakashi, what will you be doing today?" Miyu asked the silver haired cyclops.

"Hm, training most likely." He answered as they walked to the Uchiha compound, "I won't be taking any missions for a while."

"Why?" The blonde asked, skipping ahead and then stopping to wait for him. Kurama was obviously displeased by her jerky gait, jumping off his partner and walking on his own.

"I might try to get into Anbu." There wasn't much else he could do unless he was content with his current position, "Minato-sensei is one of the Hokage candidates and he's likely to be picked. I think it would still be nice to work directly under him." He explained. The whole village hadn't been surprised when they had heard of Sarutobi's oncoming retirement. Now it was just a choice between the two candidates but for her there was really only one option.

"I don't like Orochimaru," It was considerably difficult for her not to spit out the name, and acting civil when she had first saw him with Jiraiya had been a challenge. Honestly she was confused on how he had turned out so twisted in the end.

"He does seem a bit off at times." More often than not the snake Sannin smelled like death to him, and not the type that came with their line of work. "Ah, we're here." It seemed the short walk was over to his disappointment. He liked talking to her, she was refreshing and understanding. At times it was nice to just talk, something he hadn't appreciated much before.

"Miyu-oneesan." Itachi came out to greet the duo, instantly grabbing the hem of his sister's clothes.

"Oh, Itachi, morning!" Miyu ruffled his hair, beaming at the cute pout. She couldn't exactly remember when he had become so close but thought it was about the same time Kakashi had begun walking her back.

"Good morning." Kakashi greeted with an almost unnoticeable frown.

"Good morning." Itachi replied slightly tense. With Miyu's attention focused on her younger sibling she missed the glare shared between both males, though the fox was pleasantly amused.

**3 Months later – July 23rd... Konoha Hospital**

"Please come back Miyu-san!" A frantic doctor shouted as he watched his patient dash down the hallway.

"Don't worry so much Takahashi-san." Miyu called back with a smile, "I'm fine." The fact her clothes were battle torn and covered in blood did not support her statement.

Takahashi Michio relented with a sigh, he supposed if she was able to run that fast, then she wouldn't be dying anytime soon.

"Which way was it?" Miyu hit an intersection and choose right, smiling when she did indeed reach the correct room number. "Mikoto!" She entered the room loudly, surprising its occupants.

"Miyu," Fugaku gave her a disapproving look, "You shouldn't run or shout in the hospital. Nor should you cause Takahashi-san so much trouble." He added as an afterthought.

"Hai," Miyu said as his brief lecture went in one ear and out the other. She spotted her target on the bed and skipped over. "How are you doing, Mikoto?"

"Wonderfully." The woman was a bit paler than usual, with weariness easily visible on her face, though she did manage a weak smile, "If you want to meet him, he's with Itachi."

She turned her attention to the boy seated beside his mother. A peaceful smile stretched across his usually stoic face. In his arms, sleeping peacefully despite all the commotion, was a beautiful and healthy baby boy.

"His name is Sasuke." Fugaku told her with his own rare smile.

"Sasuke." Miyu repeated, her eyes softening, "It's a good name."

"So, how are you?" Fugaku asked, jolting her out of her reverie. He checked her form, paying particular attention to any place near blood.

"I'm fine." Miyu replied, rubbing the blood on her arm off and showing him the unmarred skin, "Healing abilities remember."

"Hn." Fugaku nodded his approval and she smiled. He truly wasn't as bad as she had once imagined. A little callous and strict, sure, but he cared in his own way.

"Would you like to hold him?" Itachi asked, offering his younger brother to his sister, albeit reluctantly.

"Of course." Miyu eagerly accepted Sasuke, her arms moving into place automatically. She had gotten a lot of practice with babies these past few months. The blonde went out of her way, meeting and getting to know the people of Konoha, relishing in the new bonds she formed. She had fed younger Neji, held Tenten, chanced upon Lee, cooed over Shino, cuddled Choji, met Sakura and played with Kiba. Yet, there were still a handful of her friends yet to be born and even more she could not meet yet. She couldn't call herself fully content until she knew they were all safe and protected. Feeling a movement in her arms Miyu looked down and watched as Sasuke blearily open his eyes.

"Ohayo." She greeted with a foxy grin.

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

"Temari! You look fantastic!" Sakura complimented, giving the Suna Kunoichi a hug. Instead of her usually flat stomach there was a small bulge on the blonde which added an appeal of its own.

"You aren't looking half bad either." Temari joked, smiling over at woman and her jumpsuit-wearing partner, "You two should get a move on too. I don't want to be the only fat one here." She earned herself a pretty blush from the pink haired woman and couple of laughs. Their Nara tactician fondly wrapped an arm around her waist before adding his own opinions into the mix.

"Maybe we should take this slowly," He suggested, "One pregnant woman is troublesome enough." All he got in return was a punch from his ever-loving wife. The mood was great and soon enough the friendly chatter grew to a full blown shouting match.

"I'm going to be an uncle." Naru turned her attention back to her close friend who seemed to be worrying more than anyone else, though it hardly showed on his impassive face.

"So you are." She agreed, listening as Lee's voice rose up above the rest, "And you will be a great one at that."

"But-" The redhead didn't have much confidence and his experience with his own uncle hadn't helped any.

"Gaara," The sunny blonde turned to his with a wide grin, "You'll be fine, you'd be surprised how many kids we have over here that admire you." She caught the small look of surprise on his face and continued, "You're not a monster Gaara, no matter what happened in the past. Instead you're the Kazekage and most likely the youngest ever Kage. It's their honour to be your niece even if things may be a bit awkward in the beginning." Gaara was definitely relieved by her words. If Naru said it was okay then he would believe in her. After all she had his absolute trust.

"Thank you." He said sincerely, appreciating the small boost of confidence. Though, at the same time something else caught his attention, "So, you said niece..."

"Ah!" Naru jumped up and exaggeratedly slapped her hands over his mouth, "Shhh! You didn't hear that! At least not from me!" His brow quirked in amusement, prompting her to explain. "It seems Kurama it good at sensing chakra, or life for this matter and since she's already a couple of months along he was able to determine the gender. But make sure to keep it quiet you hear!"

"Keep what quiet?" The heir of both Namikaze and Uzumaki jumped as she was startled by another's silent approach.

"Kashi!" She beamed and received a warm hug from the silver haired male, "We weren't expecting you for at least another hour!"

"Maa, maa, I'm not that bad." The Cyclops waved off the incredulous looks at his last statement.

"I recall not even an important meeting with myself and the other Kages could get you to arrive on time, Hatake." Gaara added in a bland tone.

"Ah, really?" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, apparently having no recollections of such an event. "So what did I miss?"

"Nothing much." Sakura answered, walking up to greet her sensei, "Everyone was just getting settled in." She was rather relaxed despite her fiancé's boisterous shouting and attempts to exercise.

"I see." His visible eye curved upwards watching the younger generations antics and catching a few of the older ninja spread throughout the room.

"KAKASHI!" Why he ever thought he'd have a moment of peace was beyond him. The copy ninja sighed and resigned himself to his fate as his eternal rival bounded up to him.

"I think I'll leave you two be..." Naru said, sliding out from under his arm as Konoha's Green Beast eagerly skipped towards them.

"How cruel you are, to abandon me in my time of need," He cried dramatically, though she laughed it off, and grabbed her left hand. "How I ever fell in love with you is beyond me." He brought the smaller hand up and pressed a mask-covered kiss to the silver band that wrapped around her fourth finger.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naru asked as he released her, "It's clearly because of my beauty, charm, fun personality, skills as a kunoichi and..." She trailed off with a playful smile though something a bit more sensual lay in her eyes.

"And?" Kakashi prompted, right as Gai reached him.

"Well, I'll have to show you later on tonight now won't I?" Naru left him speechless, a feat she had mastered over the years, and quickly pulled Gaara away with her to dance. Her husband couldn't feel jealous at all, not after what he had just been promised.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

**3 Months later – Early October...night before the Kyuubi attack**

A faded red leaf drifted down from the treetops onto and small palm, belonging to a small girl with her arm outstretched. The small hand closed around the leaf crumpling it before letting it fall to the ground.

**''So are you sure of our plan.''** Kurama asked, wondering if their reckless actions could even be considered as such.

"Yes," Miyu replied, "As long as I can convince 'you' to stop it should be fine. But I wonder what will happen if both Kyuubi no Kitsune clash with one another. You told me before that two of the same people cannot exist at the same time."

**''I am not sure,''** it was strange to hear the fox sound so worried, **''currently, due to Namikaze's sealing method, I am but the Yang half of my former self. I am incomplete so theoretically there should be no problem but...''**

"I see." She was sure it would result in his death, or non-existence to be exact.

**''So what happens if this plan of yours fails? What is the back-up?'' **He asked.

"If I cannot stop 'you' then I will perform to sealing." She said with resolve, "I will offer my life to the Shinigami and seal this timeline's Kyuubi into the baby that will be born. That child will grow up with a strong mother, a father that will rule righteously and a demon fox to guide him. It is more than I had and hopefully it will be enough. Of course, if I offer my soul you'll have to come with me." She rubbed the back of her head and offered the fox a sheepish grin.

**''I had resolved to follow you till the end of your short life. It will be sooner than I expected but I am content.''** Kurama stated softly, **''besides you will probably need company inside his stomach, it must be pretty boring do you not suppose?''**

"I wonder if he's nice." She contemplated, "The Shinigami I mean."

**''I hope we need not to find out, but I do not think he could be too bad.'' **He answered. Miyu sat silently in thought. Tomorrow she would be born and that was the same day many were destined to die, including Minato and Kushina. They had already moved to a secure location with a midwife team and a handful of Anbu. It wouldn't be enough. While she knew the location, Miyu was required to remain within the walls of Konoha, or at least her clone was bound to. Tomorrow was her free day so hopefully Hizashi would not see her and wouldn't become suspicious.

"It's here." Miyu stated, standing atop a tree that overlooked the small houses that held the newlywed couple and their attendants.

**''Now, we must wait.'' **Kurama sniffed the air, stretching his senses over the wide area. They wouldn't be caught unaware, not after all their preparations.

**''There he is.''** Kurama noted. Miyu brought her attention to the hooded, masked ninja sneaking into the house. With a slight sadness she watched him dispose of the Anbu, making no move to help. It would do no good alerting him. At the moment she knew how the story went and how he would act. She wouldn't jeopardize the safety of those more important than her by trying to save everyone and most likely failing. No, instead she would wait. She could guarantee three lives at the sacrifice of four. It would have to do.

**''He is moving,'' **Kurama alerted, jumping onto her shoulders as she followed from an undetectable distance. In the enemy ninja's arms was worn out Kushina, who was currently using all her energy to restrain the Kyuubi. That in turn meant Minato had taken Naruto to safety. She followed him all the way to a series of rocks which were covered in intricate seals.

"What... do you want?" She heard Kushina grit out as she was placed on a smaller stone, and bound with the seals.

"To take the Kyuubi from you," the masked man responded, "And to destroy Konoha." Miyu ignored his short rant and focused on Kushina as the extraction began. The red haired woman let out a silent scream under the excruciating pain as the fox was forcefully pulled out from her.

"GRAAAWRR!" The beast was out, howling at the sky.

**''I look strong.''** The smaller fox noted.

"So you do." Miyu agreed.

"Alright," The man looked straight at the released Bijuu, "Now, head for Konoha."

**"Ugh...wait."** Kushina called weakly, gaining his attention once more.

"The Uzumaki clan really is amazing," The man remarked, "Still alive after having the Bijuu ripped from you, eh?"

**"Grrrrr..."** The fox let out an unpleasant growl.

"You were the Kyuubi's host, and now I will use him to kill you." As the words left his mouth a furred hand came down in the exact spot where she laid. The enraged fox's muzzle looked up where his prey had vanished, now in the arms of a fearless blond. "It's too late." The masked man intoned as Konoha's Yellow Flash disappeared, prioritizing his wife's safety. He wasn't far behind, teleporting to Konoha, unknowing of the girl that followed.

Miyu waited. She had waited for the fox to be extracted, she had waited for him to be summoned into the village and she had waited for Minato to be lured away by the masked man. He would be able to defeat him while she currently couldn't, and in turn she would stop the rampaging fox.

"Who?!" Sarutobi stepped back as an unrecognizable ninja appeared in front of him. It was a kunoichi with long blonde hair and a completely blank, white mask on her face, showing only the red of her eyes.

**"Get out of here."** He heard her order with a guttural voice. Sarutobi managed to catch a glimpse of her gaze, his own eyes widening at the sight of feral slitted pupils.

"This is Konohagakure, and my home." The former Hokage stated, holding his kunai a fraction tighter while sizing her up, "I will stand and fight to protect it." The ninja with him shouted their approval.

**"And so you shall, but unless you wish to die, allow me to speak with him."** She didn't wait for the answer and walked up to the fox who was still thrashing around, despite no longer being under control.

"RRAAWR!" Within an instant she hand grabbed him and teleported elsewhere.

**"Kurama!" **The kunoichi called, acquiring the demon fox's attention, **"Do you hear me?"** The fox halted recognizing his own name. A name he knew he had not given to any humans. **"Do you hear us?"** the woman repeated. He turned to stare down the mere human that dare call him, growling all the while. **"Good."** She answered.

When Minato had finally tracked down the Kyuubi he was met with a scene completely unexpected. There was a woman, the one his predecessor the Sandaime had mentioned, sitting beside the snout of the nine-tailed fox deep in conversation with it. Said beast growled in warning as the newcomer approached, but otherwise seemed to be expecting him.

**"It's time,"** He heard the woman say as she stood up and dusted herself off before asking one final question to the fox, **"What is your decision?"** There was a movement from the beast, a slow but definite nod. Satisfied, she finally turned her attention to the young Hokage.

"Who are you?" He asked the woman. She merely looked at him and Minato had to admit that the blank mask was slightly more unnerving than a patterned one.

**"No one important."** Miyu answered slowly, **"Instead I would like to borrow your child."** Minato was instantly on guard. The attack on his family and village had made him wary.

"Why?" He let her identity slide. After all, dangerous or not, she had stopped the fox subsequently saving Konoha.

**"The fox and I have come to an agreement."** She answered, "**He is willing to be resealed under my terms. Your wife is too weak to accept him again and it would most likely kill her, and anyone that is not an infant, will die due to his chakra affecting the already developed chakra systems."**

"If that is the case I'll be the one to do the sealing." Minato stated. He struggled slightly, with the decision of his child's fate, though he couldn't say the stranger's suggestion was new to his thoughts.

**"That's fine."** Miyu allowed, much to his surprise, **"But you will use this seal"** She rolled out a scroll laying the pattern down for him to inspect. It was ingenious and very familiar. **"Go explain to your wife, and bring whatever you need." **She watched him nod and disappear.

**"And you promise I will get my revenge? That this will be my last host?" **A deep voice questioned behind her. Miyu turned to the Kyuubi who chose to speak only in her presence.

**"I promise, and foxes keep their words."** He accepted her vow and quietened once again as Minato reappeared, this time followed by the Sandaime and Konoha's last Sannin. It was only to be expected.

"I never thought I would see the Kyuubi not wreaking havoc." Jiraiya said, observing the unknown kunoichi.

**"Please don't antagonize him."** Miyu requested with a sigh. She saw Minato holding a bundle of cloth with a smiling baby and merely stared at the strangeness of it all. Here she existed in two places at once. Maybe Kurama had been mistaken?

"Alright then." Minato carried his child over, flanked by his two trusted companions. The fox barely even moved as he felt a hand rest on his fur. "Seal!" As promised the Kyuubi offered no resistance, and was sealed within his spawn. "It's done." He uttered in amazement.

"A perfect sealing." Jiraiya commented, checking over the seal that had manifested on the baby's stomach. The Sandaime turned to offer his gratitude to the stranger only to find nothing but air where the woman had once stood.

"She's gone." Both seal masters focused their attention on their missing helper. Minato caught a glimpse of white and moved his attention down to the ground where the shattered remains of a mask remain. How she had done it all without them noticing was undoubtedly a testament to her skills as a ninja.

**''That went well,''** Kurama remarked sleepily, carried in the girl's arms. Going in and out of his jinchuriki's seal took a toll on him, making him feel rather tired.

"Maybe a bit too well." Miyu muttered quietly, though she wouldn't take it for granted. Pushing a small amount of chakra into her legs she jumped, landing on the next rooftop. At the moment the younger shinobi were gathered in a safe area, until they were released she would not be able to switch with her clone.

**''Aside from a few dozen injured and a section of the village destroyed, there was no further damage as far as I have observed.''** Kurama noted, sensing a wave of relief through the girl.

"No casualties?" She questioned softly.

**''None so far,''** the fox answered, ''but there are a few who have been seriously harmed.'' Miyu could live with that, at least with the medics doing their jobs, there would be no lost lives.

"Good." She sighed and searched for a place to remain for the night, hoping she wouldn't have to resort to the Forest of Death.

**''It seems my alternate self was very accepting.''** The fox commented. Then again, one would have to be when confronted with something undeniably true.

"I only hope he and Naruto can come to terms. You actually quite a nice fox, deep down inside." She laughed as her partner shivered in disgust.

**''That is almost insulting, he growled back, I am the great Kyuubi no Kitsune. A demon fox is anything but nice.''**

"Kind then," Miyu teased, "And cute too." She rubbed the back of his ear and he let out an uncontrollable purr.

**''You do not play fair...''** He muttered, succumbing to the feeling of her fingers in his fur. ...A little to the left...

"Of course 'O Great One'" She obliged and mover her hand, listening to the rumbling intensify. "By the way, I thought you said that you couldn't exist in the same place at once?"

The questioning had been troubling her more than she thought it would.

**''You cannot. I have explained the reasoning behind myself but as for you, you are still yourself. It is this you which has changed.''** Miyu was sure he couldn't have been more confusing if he tried. Just let it be, or as you humans say, go with the flow. **''You will find your answers soon enough...''**

**A/N Thanks for reading :D**

**I kinda rushed this chapter so please let me know if you find any errors and I'll correct them. Thanks.**

**So in this chapter we get to see the beginning of a petty (almost subconscious) rivalry between Kakashi and Itachi for Miyu's attention ahaha. Also Sasuke is born (You can bet having an older half-sister is going to affect him)**

**There's also another flashback with pregnant Temari married to Shikamaru. (In the scene last chapter Gaara was talking about saying hello to his deceased wife and unbornm daughter... I might need another flashback showing his Shikamaru's...despair...) Ah, Sakura and Lee are a thing... but that's not necessarily true for this time around. In fact I was planning to pair Lee with someone else (feel free to guess :D) And at that point Kakashi and Naru were already married :)**

**The Kyuubi incident played out languidly. Basically because Miyu knew exactly what happened an when. Seeing as in the canon Tobi was defeated by Minato she handled the fox.**

**Sorry if it was all a bit ooc.**

**Anyway, the poll will be open until the next time I post a chapter (a couple of months maximum)**

**As always, I hope to see you all next time.**


	19. The quiet after a storm

"Thank kami-sama you're both safe." Minato brought Kakashi and Miyu into a tight hug. One that was returned by both, though more tentatively from the boy.

"I think we're the ones who should be saying that," Kakashi responded dryly, "After all, us children were locked into a safety area while the adults went to fight." It was easy to see he was a bit bitter, though Miyu could understand. It was frustrating, being held back because of his outer appearance when most people knew he was as capable and in some cases, more competent than some of the older ninja.

"Looks like someone's sulking." The blond jounin fondly ruffled the boy's hair much like a father would, and Miyu wondered how close the two had truly become.

"Miyu." A tired voice called her over and she left Minato in favour of his wife. The red haired woman had been through a lot recently, and it had taken its toll on her. Her hair was a bit duller than usual, and slightly matted while her complexion was an unhealthy pale, but her violet eyes still sparked with life and joy. "Come a bit closer, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Kurama sat back on his haunches, watching his partner with knowing eyes, though he wasn't the only one that noticed her trembling hands when Kushina gently placed her child in Miyu's unsure arms. "His name is Naruto." Kushina told her in a soft voice.

"His?" Miyu caught her breath in surprise.

"Yep," Minato confirmed, "Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, our son."

"Son?" Miyu couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside her. She finally understood what Kurama had been talking about. "I guess I was expecting a girl." Her laughter was soft and, for reasons those gathered could not understand, melancholic. Eyelids fluttered before cornflower blue eyes revealed themselves, staring right at her. She would have to wait and see what colour they would turn out in the end. Now that the baby was awake she handed him over to his father who held him for a moment before passing the baby to his student. Kakashi was awkward at best, and the fact little Naruto looked like he was going to cry didn't seem to help. She took in the scene, burning it into her memory, knowing all the while that things from here would only get harder.

When Miyu arrived back at the compound her body felt lighter than it had in years, despite the resistance seals and despite the weight of the fox. She had finally saved someone.

She had saved them.

"Nee-chan." She looked down at the small body that had attached himself to her. Though he was half her age he was a bit taller than average meaning he already reached her shoulder. She realised he had grown quite a bit in the past year.

"What's wrong Tachi?" the blue-eyed kunoichi asked, ruffling his hair softly in a way that soothed his anxiety. His face was pressed against her currently, non-existent chest, and she had to prod him quite a few times before he met her gaze. Honestly, what Miyu saw didn't surprise her. In the young prodigy's eyes was the startling red which had come about most likely from the pressure of the Kyuubi's demon chakra, the built up traumatic stress from the recent war and the almost destruction of his village combined. "Ah, you activated the Sharingan." She stated knowingly.

"Yes." He stared at her for a long while before glancing at the fox, "Your chakra looks different."

"Of course it does." She responded as if it cleared up his confusion, "Kurama and I share." She continued. "It's getting a bit cold outside so why don't we head inside?" The autumn chill had crept up on them both and she decided she'd rather not celebrate her victory with a cold.

**1 year after the Kyuubi's attack – Amegakure Chuunin Exams**

Miyu idly twirled the umbrella in her hands but managed to keep it covering the fox the whole time, the rain was coming down hard and regardless of his water-resistant fur, Kurama hated the wet. Therefore he greatly disliked his current situation due to the downpour of rain, which was heavy enough to obscure one's sight.

"How do you think he will do?" A slim, red haired male to her left asked. She squinted slightly trying to spot a familiar spiky haired brunet within the metal labyrinth that was the arena.

"He'll pass." She stated. Hearing the clashing sounds of steel on steel she finally found her teammate battling against an older genin from Kumo.

"Confident are we?" This time the question was asked from a woman with striking blue hair sitting to the left of the previous man.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She heard a chuckle from her right and huffed in annoyance. No one else in the audience could see what she was so annoyed about she was sitting in a first class seat, beside the three most important figures of Amegakure. She should have been honoured, and maybe she would have been, if she hadn't been accosted and wedged between them at the beginning of the final rounds.

"Oh, look it's already over." Yahiko drew her attention back to the match where Iruka's arm was being held up high, marking his as victor, while his unfortunate opponent lay unconscious on the ground. "He and the other two have performed remarkably well." He added as an afterthought, "Too bad you were promoted before I could see you in action."

"Hey, I'm still a ninja, and I'm out fighting bandits every other day," Miyu ranted exaggeratedly, "Chances are I'll be meeting you on the battlefield. On the same side." She clarified.

"Of course." He replied instantly.

"Miyu!" She heard Iruka call her name as he jogged towards her with Morino Ibiki and Gekko Hayate beside him. Since Chuunin Exams required a team of three most years the two boys had been chosen as Iruka's teammate. This may have partly also been due to the fact their own teammate, Tokara, had been killed in action by a pair of C-ranked missing nins. She had heard a couple vague rumours about what had happened at the end of the disastrous mission. Most seemed to contradict one another all for a single detail, and that was the fact the missing nins had been slaughtered mercilessly afterwards.

"You three did well." The girl complimented with a wide grin, "Good job!" The fox moved from her lap, twisting around her shoulders and allowing her to stand.

"It was easier than expected..." Ibiki commented blandly. She supposed if the interrogation specialist was able to do so well in the fighting components it must have been true.

"I agree." Hayate added, "But I think it's mostly because the other villages have held back their stronger genin."

"What do you expect?" Yahiko cut in, surprising the trio of genins, "The war ended just recently and Konoha came out victorious. The fact this Chuunin Exam was held here in Ame, a village recently allied to yours, does little to ease them. They won't be sending out any ninja they believe have potential unless their safety is guaranteed."

"Exactly what he said," Miyu agreed, "But putting that aside, let's go and celebrate!" Those around her sighed sightly at the familiar, carefree behaviour. "I'll pay, so come on."

"Team HIMI reporting back from the Amegakure Chuunin Exams." Miyu announced as the three boys under her command stood behind her proudly, each of them wearing a brand new, Konoha-issued chuunin vest.

"I see it went well." The young Hokage stated with a smile. "This, Miyu, is for you." He handed the girl a scroll filled with ryo, "For your successful mission of leading your team to Ame and Back to Konoha."

"Thank you." The girl replied politely, content that her funds were steadily increasing.

"And you three." Minato spoke to the newbie chuunins, "Get some rest, tomorrow you're going to be put straight to work."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" They replied in synch, making the man smile.

"Hayate and Iruka will have to report to the Hokage tower for missions but I heard you have interest in torture and interrogation, Ibiki?"

"Yes, sir." The older teen replied with a serious face.

"Then you'll be apprenticed under Yamanaka Inoichi, the head of the TI department until he's satisfied with your progress or you chose to take another path." Ibiki nodded respectfully, inwardly excited at his new position. "Alright then, you three are dismissed, why don't you go find your senseis and tell them the god news?" They each saluted, and exited the room, leaving the ever busy man to his work.

"Neji-chan~" Miyu cried happily as a small child ran up towards her.

"Nee-chan, up!" He demanded cutely, and she obliged, swinging him into the air while her teammate and sensei chatted on the porch.

"How's my favourite little Hyuga?" She cooed, throwing him quite high in the air. A while ago this had frightened Hizashi into a near heart attack but the reassurance that she would always catch him calmed him greatly... Though he couldn't do anything about the nervous twitching.

"Today I played with Hinata-sama!" The child said between gleeful laughs. She smiled at that. A wide, sunny smile that forced her eyes shut.

"Really? Then when Hinata-chan gets older we'll have to play catch with her." The boy nodded enthusiastically but those around her looked worried. After all, the girl's idea of catching involved throwing small children in the air.

"Tadaima." The blonde called as she entered the Uchiha compound.

"Welcome back," Itachi greeted calmly, carrying his sleeping, one-year old brother. Miyu almost sighed in disappointment. She had never gotten a chance to play with the older Uchiha brother, probably due to his age and size in comparison to her own irritatingly small stature. At least Sasuke would play with her.

**''At least while he is young.''** Kurama added, lazily trailing behind her.

"How was the academy?" She asked curiously, ignoring the comment from the fox. Itachi, as expected, happened to be yet another prodigy and was entered years earlier than his peers.

"Interesting." He replied in a way that was the Uchiha's synonym for boring. "Shisui already taught me the academy jutsu."

"Shisui did?" Miyu matched the name with the Uchiha she had met a few months ago. He was only slightly younger than her with unkempt hair and a nice smile.

**''You take note of the most irrelevant things.'' **The fox sighed. You should instead, focus on his skills as a shinobi. Yeah, yeah.

"Then how about I teach you something too? You can work on it when the other students are practicing the academy set."

"Really?" his dark eyes sparkled with interest.

"Of course. But first let's hand Sasuke-chan to your mother." She pointed over to where Mikoto was observing them with a fond smile. Itachi nodded and returned his brother to his mother's awaiting arms, before hurrying out to the backyard where Miyu was waiting.

"So any preferences?" Miyu questioned, stretching out her arms and running through her jutsu inventory.

"I want to learn a water one." Itachi replied, seeing as he knew a couple of fire jutsus already.

"Water huh," That narrowed it down slightly, "Offensive, defensive or supplementary?"

"..." He stayed silent in thought. Miyu understood that if left to his own devices, he'd be up thinking all night.

"Why don't we just start with some simple training first and you can decide what you want jutsu later." She suggested, scanning the backyard for anything useable, "How good would you say your chakra control is?"

"I'd say better than most other academy students." They turned at the sound of a new voice and found Fugaku standing just beside the house. "What are you planning to teach him?"

"I was thinking about a water technique. I know it's a bit soon but do you know his affinity?" The Uchiha head gave her a speculative look before speaking again.

"I don't, but I can find some chakra paper for you," He offered, "In fact I have a couple of sheets left over in my room."

"That would be great." Miyu replied. Fugaku nodded and headed inside. It didn't take him more than five minutes to reappear with the desired item. "You brought two?"

"If you're going to be teaching him, you may as well demonstrate what to do." He explained as he handed her both sheets. Though, he wouldn't deny that he was curious about his, recently acquired, daughter's skills.

"Sure." She shrugged and accepted the paper, passing one on to Itachi who examined it curiously. "Alright then, what do you know of chakra affinities?" She asked.

"Normally, every person has chakra that has an affinity towards a certain type, the five basic ones being fire, wind, lightning, earth and water." He began, reciting his knowledge, "Genetics also affect the outcome seeing as most members of our clan for example, have a fire affinity."

"Correct." Miyu praised, "And this affinity determines the difficulty of learning a particular technique. It would be a safe guess to assume that someone that can learn certain elemental jutsu easier has an affinity for the type. There are some other advanced types like ice used by Yukigakure nin, or the Tsuchikage's own unique dust release, but we'll leave that for another time. For now we'll focus on what affinity you have with the use of this chakra paper."

"How?" The boy asked, turning the flimsy item over in his hands.

"Basically, you just need to channel your chakra into it and the paper will react accordingly," Miyu explained, "Fire will ignite, wind will cut, lightning will cause it to wrinkle, earth will make it crumble and water will turn it dap. I'll show you an example." Slightly apprehensive, Miyu held the paper between her fingers and channelled a small amount of her chakra into it. No matter how little chakra she used the paper seemed determined to show violent results. The thin sheet of paper instantly shredded, its pieces falling to the ground in crumpled, soggy pieces.

"Impressive." Fugaku noted with unhidden surprise. The only other person he had seen with such a high affinity for wind had been Minato, and that was putting aside the girl's other two affinities. Oddly enough though, she hadn't picked up the Uchiha's fire.

"Hahaha...well, that's what happens when I use the paper." She rubbed the back of her head in habit, "As you can see I have more than one affinity, though my primary one, or my strongest affinity is wind."

"And you have a...secondary affinity to water and lightning?" Itachi asked, inspecting one of the torn pieces.

"Yep. Anyways, why don't you give it a shot and we'll go on from there." She indicated to the forgotten slip of chakra paper he held and the boy eagerly raised it to test his own affinities. He pushed his chakra out of his body and into the paper which seemed to blacken and crumble, leaving a smouldering pile of ash.

"Does this mean I have an Earth and Fire affinity?" The boy questioned curiously. Miyu idly bent down to tentatively touch the remaining pieces.

"Not exactly," She brought back the largest bit of paper she could find which was itself no bigger than her finger tip, "You're definitely fire but if you had an earth affinity the paper would feel dry."

"Its water isn't it?" Fugaku questioned, thinking that was probably why the paper hadn't ignited as expected, "Mikoto also has a water affinity. So it makes sense for Itachi to have one too."

"That's perfect!" Miyu smiled happily, "I was a bit worried since I don't know many fire or earth jutsu, but water I can work with."

"Hn." Itachi looked subtly pleased, seeing as he had asked for a water jutsu in the first place.

"Alright Tachi, what do you want to learn first?" Miyu ran over to a nearby tree and picked up a leaf before returning, "We can try the leaf exercise...though I'm not sure how it works with water... or we can practise pulling water out of the air!" She bounced excitedly at the prospect of teaching the little prodigy and held up her palm, dragging her hand through the air and collecting an orb of swirling water in her palm. Both Uchiha males were amazed though the fox groaned in response.

**''Kit...''** Kurama warned when she flawlessly showcased her talent. No shinobi at her age, despite her apparent skill, should have been able to perform such an act, sans the Nidaime Hokage himself. _It's fine_, Miyu gave a mental shrug, _can't you see that things have already changed?_ The fox didn't respond and stayed silent.

"How strong is your affinity for water?" Fugaku asked in slight amazement, while his son had his full attention on the rippling ball of fluid.

"Almost as strong as my primary affinity." She replied, shaping the water into a large raven.

"Can it fly?" Itachi asked curiously, watching as the artificial bird began to preen.

"Of course." She charged up the water with chakra and ever so slowly the bird began to flap its heavy wings and take off. It soared in the afternoon sky before eventually dissolving back into the air it had come from.

"You really do have amazing chakra control." Fugaku complimented, almost making her choke on her own saliva.

"It's not that great, I just practise a lot." She waved off as Kurama snickered much to her ire.

**1 Month Later – Uchiha Compound.**

"Nee-chan, how's this?" Miyu looked up from where she had been performing her daily ritual of cleaning her swords. More specifically it was a single sword that required a bit more care than the rest. She gently put the blade down and waved Itachi over. The boy was proudly holding a single leaf from one of the nearby trees.

"Alright, show me what you've got." She prompted, watching as a small droplet began to form on the leaf. It grew to a rather large size while defying gravity and not simply falling to the floor. "Wow, that's faster than I expected."

**''To achieve this before even having graduated from the academy,'' **Kurama noted, **''Itachi will grow to be strong. Stronger than before.''** I know. His partner replied. No matter how the other timeline had turned out, this time Itachi would not die. He would not be forced to kill his kin, nor would he live the life of a missing nin. She had made a vow after all, to protect him as well.

"The next step is drawing out the water without the leaf as a medium," She explained, "The air is full of water especially in a place like Konoha. I suggest starting off at the hot springs where the air is full of steam." She sheathed her sword in a swift motion, the pristine, square-tipped katana disappearing into its elaborate scabbard. It was mainly black, decorated with gold scales at the tip with a royal blue cord covering the handle, ending in two long tassels. The guard itself was a piece of art, a familiar mythical creature delicately carved into its metal. All in all, it was far too extravagant and fragile for actual battle but at the same time there was an undeniably powerful way to utilise its uniqueness.

"Hai." The boy was couldn't help but be a little frustrated at the slow progress. It had taken longer than he had originally though, and that was just a single step to mastering a single one of his affinities. In the end it was his own admirable patience and knowledge that kept him persisting whereas other's his age and even those older would have long given up.

"I'll be leaving for my mission now. Take care." Miyu stated, ruffling his hair, before strapping the sword to her waist.

"Be careful." The boy advised as he watched his sister, vanish in a swirl of leaves.

"Ahem, Hokage-sama," the dog masked Anbu cleared his throat, trying to catch the attention of his village leader. Sadly enough, the blond seemed determined to ignore all around him in favour of his adorable, babbling son.

"Minato..." Miyu joined in but by now he seemed to be purposely ignoring her much to her annoyance, "Minato...niisan..." She reluctantly called him by his preferred title and he snapped to attention, acting as if he hadn't been waiting for it this whole time.

"Ah, Miyu-chan! Nice to see you." He handed his son to the silver haired Anbu, rummaging through the several drawers behind his desk, "I assume you're here for the mission."

"Of course," She scoffed, "What's the point of visiting you when we have dinner together every other day?"

"Hahaha..." He let out a weak laugh, "You sound like you're in a bad mood."

"I assure you it has nothing to do with the surprise mission I found out I was leading only yesterday." She replied dryly. The Anbu held back a snicker, glad that his mask helped hide his expression.

"A moment of incompetence on my part," Minato admitted with slight embarrassment, "Here." He tossed an official scroll, marked by the insignia in the top corner. Silently she read through it.

"Do I have permission to pick my own team?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You have a choice of any chuunin on standby," The Hokage answered, "So who would you like?" She took a moment to think, going over the mission details though at least one member was a given.

"Umino Iruka," She said straight off the back, trusting his well-rounded skills, "Shiranui Genma...and...Gai." She heard the Anbu choke on his own saliva at the last name but she was convinced he would be perfect for the mission, no matter how much she truly wanted to deny it.

"That's fine." Minato approved, "I'll let them know this afternoon. Take care and proceed with caution, alright?" he added.

"Hai." She turned to leave but not before direction a sunny smile at her younger counterpart. Naruto giggled in response, grabbing a handful of silver hair and tugging mercilessly.

Miyu laughed heartily, trying to smother her snickers as she walked out the building to find her furry partner.

**A/N Thanks for reading, and staying with the story for this long :)**

**This chapter is a simple one, just a few changes here and there. An addition of the recent Chuunin Exams (Including promotions) and Konoha falling back into a peaceful life.**

**Miyu as of now, is a jounin. Some of you may think this is fast but she won't be making any rank changes for a long while after this (ie. she probably won't be entering Anbu) Plus she is certainly skilled enough to lead some simple missions.**

**I've given her the usual Wind affinity but she also has water as her natural second affinity, and lightning which she trained herself to wield. (There is also a pretty important reason for this...not that important actually...)**

**As for new jutsu:**

**Name: Tori o Kaeru – Tsubame/ Taka (Changing Bird – Swallow/Falcon)**

**Classification: Ninjutsu**

**Rank: C-B**

**Class: Offensive**

**Range: Mid-range**

**Summary: Water is used to form a bird which can be infused with other elements and changes accordingly using both nature transformation and the idea of shadow clones (essentially being sentient chakra beings) as a base. Usually a generic raven shape it may become a swallow of falcon if infused with wind and lightning elements respectively. The bird is able to fly towards enemies and deliver swift cutting strikes if in the form of a swallow or a single paralysing blow when a falcon.**

**I've also debuted one of Miyu's key weapons (the details will be displayed similarly to new jutsu);**

**Name: Zeijaku Ha (Vulnerable Blade)**

**Type: Iaito (Mock/Imitation sword).**

**Appearance: A decorative katana with a black sheath patterned with patches gold scales at the tip. It has a black guard, decorated with strokes of gold, shaped like a Kirin (dragon-unicorn) within the oval shape The blade is constantly a pristine, untarnished silver, with a squared off tip without a specific edge.**

**Ability: Incredibly light, can conduct wind and lightning chakra.**

**Summary: Forged with incredible fragile materials. The blade was not made to withstand an actual battle and would no doubt shatter if one tried. When used correctly though, it can be a formidable weapon, mainly used for iaido and battoujutsu (the art of quick-drawing). By channelling wind chakra the blade gains an armour-like overcoat and can move faster that the human eye can follow. Purchased by Miyu in Takumi Village.**

**The next chapter will be a brief mission with a bit of foreshadowing (If I can pull it off correctly). A slice of action for those who want it. But a good question to think about will be Haku and Zabuza. Should they live? And should Haku be male or female (honestly both ideas are appealing to me and will both mean drastic changes in the plot.)**

**Let me know what you think.**


	20. Idleness and Rumours

"Are you the ninja team we hired from Konoha?" A nondescript guard asked, barring them entry from the small village, "I swear we paid enough for a B-rank but..." He trailed off, glancing at the group. They were all kids, one was in a weird jumpsuit, and there was a tiny blonde girl with them.

"You did and we have treated it as such," The oldest of the team responded, chewing on a senbon, "We have three chuunin and a jounin on this team." He answered handing over the mission scroll.

"I see," The civilian didn't seem very convinced but let them in regardless, "The inn is on the left of the street, please make yourselves welcome."

"Thank you very much!" Gai all but shouted, striding straight through the gates.

"Ah, Gai, wait up!" Genma rushed after him, aware that his teammate wasn't exactly normal. Miyu sighed and trailed after them, Iruka following behind. The two had at least waited at the inn, most likely unsure of how their sleeping arrangements should go.

"A single room will do." Miyu stated, as she walked up to the blushing receptionists that kept shooting their bandana wearing teammate bashful looks.

"A-are, you sure?" she stuttered out, obviously flustered.

"Yeah." Miyu dropped a few ryo on the counter and collected the room key, leading the three males up to their room.

"She is truly enjoying her spring of youth," Gai noted sounding wise, "Another woman attracted by your flames of youth Genma."

"I'm telling you it has nothing to do with being 'youthful'," Genma replied as he surveyed their room, "You sure you'll be okay with rooming with us Miyu-chan?"

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't be?" She asked raising a brow.

"I guess not." He answered with a grin that made Iruka bristle beside her. She shrugged and walked to the window, opening it and allowing a red fox entry to their room.

"Ah, Kurama! I was wondering where your companion had gone!" the taijutsu expert gave the creature a firm pat as it passed him. Miyu knelt by her partner allowing him easier access to his favourite perch.

"Kurama's located the targets' base so if we're lucky we'll be back home before the week is over." Miyu announced as the fox draped itself around her shoulders.

"That was fast." Genma gave a low whistle of appreciation, "I was expecting to be scouting around for the day."

"You can still do that it you want," The blonde pulled out the mission scroll and checked over the details, "Apparently there weren't as many ninja at the base then we expected, which means their either hanging around the area or hiding out somewhere else.

"What would you like us to do then?" Iruka asked, setting down his knapsack. The other two shinobi turned to show they were also listening to her words.

"You'll take Kurama and secure the base. There's only," the fox shifted on her shoulders, "Three chuunin stationed on guard and a handful of hostages. Gai, Genma, we'll be scouting the village, the leader is probably out with his cronies getting drunk in some bar. Iruka did you bring those seals?"

"Yeah," The scarred chuunin brought out four slips of marked paper, handing one to each of his teammates and keeping one to himself.

"What's this for?" Genma asked, scrutinizing the inky patterns. It was completely unfamiliar to him, regardless of how many seals he had used on the field.

"Oh, it's a communication seal," Iruka explained, "Well kind of. Each of us needs to push a small amount of chakra into each seal and later when you're in trouble you can reactivate your tag. Basically it works as a signal flare, one that won't be noticed by anyone but us."

"Hmm, that's rather ingenious," Gai said after a moment of thoughtfulness, "How will the tags alert us?"

"They'll heat up," Iruka answered pointing at the abstract simple for fire weaved into the design, "And the chakra of whoever's in trouble will stand out."

"Interesting, where'd you find something this neat?" Genma asked, watching as the younger boy's cheeks darkened.

"He made them," Miyu voiced a grin blooming on her face, "Now come on, we've got work to do. Maybe when we're done Iruka will enlighten you with his other experiments."

"Hai!" Her team chorused, shifting back into a more serious mindset.

Miyu fiddled with her blade as she waited on the roof of a bar for her targets to emerge. She had been right, of course, as the bandits had squandered the day in a dim lit bar with the barkeep and his waitress as the only civilians inside.

**''Alcohol is an interesting substance,''** Kurama commented as the first few criminals stumbled out, **''I am not too partial to it myself,''** Miyu vaguely wondered if demons could even get drunk. A light tap to her shoulder told her that all the men were out and she signalled for her comrade to approach. With a few quick hand signals she jumped from the rooftop, bringing her blade down on the unfortunate soul beneath her. He collapsed instantly and before the sound of his body hitting the ground could alert his friends, two more had been taken out by a jumpsuit wearing shinobi.

"Wha!?" The drunken slur from one of the men was followed by the feeble attempts to draw their weapons. Miyu could only scoff as her own swift blade downed even more foes.

Gai followed her orders perfectly in her opinion. He was silent ad efficient in dispatching his enemies as she had asked, no flashy moves or loud shouting involved, the perfect example on a ninja.

"I think that's all of them." Gai announced after sweeping the last man still standing and smashing his head into the ground, effectively knocking him out.

"Good job." Miyu praised as she pulled out a length of rope, "Now help me transport them."

"Where to?" Gai hefted two men over his shoulder while his other arm was left to drag a group of four that had been trussed up.

"Their base, Genma should have arrived their already and helped Iruka evacuated the hostages. It's secluded and away from the village making it a good spot for interrogation."

The fox chuckled darkly in her mind as a select few memories were brought up, none of them particularly pleasant.

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

Naruto dry heaved for a second time, her lunch already lost to the dusty ground. Her body was tired and she felt a headache building up. No matter how soothing she'd like to think the hand rubbing her back was, it hardly did any good.

"Are you alright?" A concerned voice asked.

"Yeah," The blonde wiped her mouth with the edge of her sleeve, cringing inwardly at the taste of bile, "It looks like I'm still not used to it." She pulled back her chakra and slowly her vision dimmed ever so slightly.

"It something that takes time and a lot of practice," The voice reassured, "Neither of which are available at the moment." Naru turned her gaze up and was greeted by her lover's tired face, his heterochromatic eyes out for the world to see.

"I know." She grumbled moodily, turning away from the silver haired male she glimpsed her victim lying on the floor, still as death baring the slight movement of their chest. "Do we need him alive?"

"Mm...not that I can remember," As soon as the words had left his mouth a thin arm darted into his vision, with an orange handled blade flying out and burying itself into the lying man's neck, "I could have taken care of that, you know?"

"Just finishing what I started," Naru said with a shrug, "But if you really want to complain you can go over there and get my sword back for me." She heard his exasperated sigh but he did as she asked nonetheless. It was only when he had left her side that she begin to feel her exhaustion, her knees threatening to buckle while there was nothing for her to lean on.

"Whoa, steady there." The silver haired ninja returned with the bloodied tanto, cleaning it roughly on his pants before sliding it back into the sheath on her waist. He then proceeded to sweep his comrade into his arms, prepared to carry her back to base.

"I'm fine, Kashi." The blonde protested weakly.

"Sure you are." Kakashi replied disbelievingly as he tugged his headband back over his transplanted eye. Naruto pouted, adorably in his opinion, and he couldn't help but steal a chaste, mask-covered kiss.

"Mou," She swatted him with a huff, "Can you at least wait until we get home?"

"Is that an offer?" He returned with a raised brow, loving the way her cheeks reddened.

"...Maybe." He grinned at the blonde who now refused to meet his gaze. "Pervert..." She uttered under her breath.

"You love me for it." Kakashi stated cheekily.

"I tolerate it because I love you," Naru corrected flicking the orange paperback sticking out of his pouch, "And you're lucky I do, otherwise Baa-chan's punches would be the least of your fears."

"Same difference." He laughed the matter off casually, Naruto having long ago resigned to having a pervert for a lover.

"Are you two done?" A dry voice asked.

"Hai!" She jumped in shock almost causing Kakashi to drop her, but successfully cutting off any snide remark he had been prepared to say in response. Instead the silver haired shinobi settled for glaring at the interrupter.

"Kazekage-sama." Gaara merely gave him a look to show how unimpressed he was, and though the red head was several years younger, Kakashi would admit that he could be fairly frightening.

"Gaara!" When she had finally recognized who he was a smile quickly blossomed on her face, "I take it this means things are finished on your side? Without any complications I hope!"

"Yes, Kankuro is currently interrogating the few we left alive," The red head informed with his monotonous, deep voice, "I came over to tell you something interesting we just found out."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Apparently these raids have all been part of an organized distraction." The young leader began, shocking his comrades.

"Distraction?" Naru echoed, "For who? And why?" Gaara stared at her, his eyes passing on a hidden message, "For me?"

"...!" Kakashi gasped inaudible in shock as his mind worked furiously, "Akatsuki?"

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

**''Kit, wake up.''** Miyu was slowly nudged awake by a soft damn nose, noticing that the other occupants of the room were already up and about. It was unusual in her opinion since that fact should have woken her before Kurama.

"What time is it?" She asked aloud, yawning softly and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She felt drained.

"A couple hours after dawn." Iruka answered helpfully, "How are you feeling? You looked exhausted yesterday?"

"Better." She surmised briefly, "We'll leave the town in the evening so spend the time however you want. I've got a couple things to do but since you're all already dressed I'll check out before I leave."

"Awesome, it's like a mini vacation, you make a great team leader." Genma stated with a grin, "I think I'll head to the bar for a quick drink." He left it at that and left traditionally... through the window.

"If my teammate has gone to enjoy himself, I will join him!" Gai decided, quickly leaving in pursuit.

"Do you need help with anything?" Iruka asked, smartly checking over his backpack and belongings.

"No, I'll be fine." She had already changed into less threatening civilian clothes and scooped up her for, "Go look around, we're rarely out of the village and maybe you can find something useful."

"Alright, take care." He fussed over her one last time before leaving through the door as one should.

**''So what was on your itinerary,''** Kurama queried.

"I have a couple things I'd like to sell, and Konoha wouldn't be the best place to do so." Miyu replied with a soft laugh just imagining the havoc she would cause.

**''I see.''** Kurama nodded in agreement as he picked up on her thoughts, **''you may also expand your inventory if you see fit.''**

"Sure, if I find anything good." She gave the room a final survey before leaving it, checking out with the same woman that had served them the first time.

**''So which way are we going?''** The fox wondered, staring down at the unfamiliar streets.

"Wherever my nose takes me." Miyu replied quietly. True to her word, she was led to the local ramen stall where, after downing a few bowls of their specialty, she made her way down a road focusing in ninja ware. She entered a few stores, checking their merchandise before exiting not long after, many times coming out empty handed.

**''You should try over there.''** The fox stated, lifting his tail to point at the direction he wanted. His partner knew better than to question his slight whims and with nothing better to do, entered the small stall.

"Wel-come...?" Miyu could hear the surprise in the young store owner's voice when she walked in, obviously expecting a different client than the small girl he received. "Is thereanything I can help you with, Miss?" Though, she did like the fact he remained respectful despite her doubtful age.

**''There.'' **The fox jumped from her shoulders landing on the counter in front of the startled man.

"Uh..." The owner was at a loss as the animal paced back and forth sniffing.

"Sorry about all this," Miyu apologized, "But it seems like my partner's found something interesting."

"It's fin-Hey! Be careful with that!" He moved quickly, pulling back the fox that had almost bitten into a large scroll he had tucked away in the back.

"What's that?" the blonde questioned, eyeing the peculiar design.

"A summoning scroll I manage to get my hands on." The shopkeep replied, "It's rare and all, but few can afford it so it just sits there."

"And what animal?" She listened with rapt interest as she was told the exact details of the scroll, her grin widening every second. "How about you trade with me?" She stated, unsealing an equally large scroll.

"Trade?" He remained wary, eyeing the decorative sword on her waist, "What do you have to offer?"

"The summoning scroll for the salamanders, signed by Hanzo himself." For further proof she briefly unrolled it, showing the deceased legend's mark.

"Where are they?" Iruka asked testily as he waited by the gates with his old teammate.

"They'll be here," Miyu answered as her friendly chat with the guard was interrupted, "Did you know that this village has a rumour of a demon blade?"

"Demon blade?" the brunet repeated confused.

"Yes, made by a resentful blacksmith thousands of years ago," She continued, wondering if the guard had any more info, "Apparently it sent humanity into hundreds of years of, chaos before being subdued by a legendary beast and sealed at the summit of the tallest mountain, bound by the heavens itself."

"And you believe that?" Iruka asked in disbelief. If he didn't know better he would say the guard was playing her.

"It's like a fairy tale around these parts," The guard replied with a smile, "Just an old story."

**''But stories and tales must come from somewhere themselves, no?''** Kurama echoed wisely, **''I dearly hope the hero of the shinobi world has no want for a demon blade.''** _Of course I want it!_ Miyu commented immediately, it sounds like a very...good sword. He merely scoffed at her response, blaming her fascination for swords on the ever memorable Demon of the Mist. It was a very good example of how young minds could be shaped by shocking events.

"Miiiiiiiyuuuuu!" The two ninja perked up at the distant shout that got louder as time passed. Accompanied by the sound of quick and heavy footsteps. As they both looked into the distance they could see the emerging figure of Genma running towards them, all but dragging his sleeping teammate behind him. Including the crowd of angry people chasing them, it didn't take them very long to decide their next step of action.

"Thank you very much for the story." Miyu gave the guard a short bow before hoping into the trees, Iruka close behind. It seemed despite saving the town from bandits, they were liable to dislike them due to the unknown action of her drunken teammates.

"I'm home." Miyu called as she entered the large house in the heart of the Uchiha compound.

"Welcome back, Miyu," Mikoto greeted warmly, "Would you like anything to eat? Some tea maybe?"

"Tea would be wonderful." Her adopted daughter replied, "I saw Fugaku just after I handed in my mission report. He says he'll be late for dinner, probably talking to Minato about village security or something."

"Oh, I feel like they've gotten closer recently," Mikoto confessed, leading the blonde to the kitchen where she began preparing some tea she had been given from Hitomi, And I have no doubt it's mostly thanks to you."

"Me?" She helped herself to a steaming cup but not before pouring some of the fragrant liquid into a saucer for the fox. He thanked her with a thump of his tail, eagerly lapping at the drink.

"Yes, Fugaku is rather...introverted," The Uchiha matriarch began slowly, "But it seems like when you were brought into the family he was forced to open up a bit more and interact with more and more people. Nowadays I'm happy that the Uchiha and Hyuga have come to better terms."

"That is certainly nice to hear," Miyu replied, "Maybe I should take Sasuke over to their compound next time Kushina and Hitomi-san organize a playdate?"

"Please do." They shared a laugh and chatted quietly before being interrupted by two, slightly roughed-up boys.

"Nee-chan," Itachi greeted with a small smile, "Welcome home."

"Working hard, Tachi?" Miyu asked with a raised brow before turning her attention to the slightly older boy, "Thanks for training with him Shisui."

"It's no problem Miyu-san! He's starting to get really good at taijutsu," the young genin replied, "Eventually he's gonna surpass me and I'll be the one losing all the time."

"You'll just have to train even harder then, right?" Miyu suggested, "Hard work will always deliver fitting results." Both boys silently took her words to heart.

"Well, we still have a couple hours before dinner..." Mikoto began with a meaningful glint in her eyes.

"Perfect!" The blonde cheered, "I hope both of you aren't too tired for one last spar."

"Definitely not." They replied eagerly.

"Great, you can work on your teamwork then," She decided, dragging both boys back outside, "We'll go two against one, the both of you against me."

**A/N Thanks for reading :D**

**So basically we left of a bit after the last chapter and Miyu and her team had been on a simple B rank (borderline C-rank mission).**

**For those who missed it the dream was linked to her interrogation moments before which involved Sharingan, though in her dream she had used Tsukiyomi.**

**By the way, Naruto's tanta which was briefly mentioned, held a bit of significance in her past:**

**Name: Kouka (Crimson Mist/Haze, Crimson-tinted Clouds (i.e. at sunset])**

**Type: Tanto.**

**Appearance: It was rather long for a tanto, with a black sheath and its handle wrapped in orange cord that was later permanently stained red. After the first few years the weapon was 'up-graded' and a chain was attach to the sword's handle and the sheath, after it had been reinforced to act as a second blade.**

**Ability: Every part of the weapon is able to any conduct chakra.**

**Summary: Naru's signature weapon. It was the weapon that brought her fame and in turn became famous itself. Originally it was a gift from Kakashi, though it was later destroyed during the latter part of the war, it is safe to assume she had if for a bit more than five years. Its nickname originated from the precise cuts it would leave on its victims that would spray out a fine mist of blood.**

**And with a short summary of Fugaku's status (maybe this means no massacre...?) That's the end of that chapter.**

**Once again I hope to see you all in the next chapter.**


	21. Lingering thoughts

**Several Months Later – May 27th, Konoha.**

"Jan...ken...pon!" Two gloved hands duelled it out in the same moment, their respective owners focusing their completely attention on a game of chance.

"I win!" Miyu cheered loudly holding her hands out, "Now pass him over."

"Fine." With a sigh and a face he refused to believe was a pout, Kakashi handed over his giggling surrogate brother.

"How have you been Naru-chan," Miyu cooed at the adorable boy, "Today you'll be spending time with Miyu-oneechan!"

"Yay!" The toddler cheered, "Can we get ramen?"

"Of course!" she bent down and placed the child on top of her grumbling partner.

"Go! Kurama!" Lazily the fox began a slow pace to Ichiraku with his exuberant passenger.

"You coming Kakashi?" Miyu asked as she made to follow.

"I've got nothing better to do." He stated with a shrug before he was roughly grabbed and manhandled the way there.

"Great, you'll be paying then." She shot him a smile that wouldn't take 'no' for an answer as they neared the boisterous stall.

"Oh! Miyu, Kakashi, welcome!" Teuchi greeted, serving up four bowls of miso, "It's nice that I got a little warning of your appearance since that fox of yours popped in with Naruchan."

"Hehe, I'm not that bad," The girl laughed as she sat on stool, Kakashi going around the other side, sandwiching Naruto between them.

"Maybe not alone," he admitted, "But when you're paired with Minato or Kushina you could eat me out of business. That said, alone you are one of my best customers."

"What do you do if the whole family comes over?" Kakashi asked curiously, accepting a steaming bowl of his own.

"I kick out all other customers and my shop is considered reserved," Teuchi gave a hearty chuckle, "I can't wait for Ayame to grow up so she can learn the tricks of the trade and help her old man out."

"More!" Naruto ordered with gusto, holding out his empty child sized bowl.

"You should just give him an adult one." Miyu said, slurping up a mouthful of noodles while her fox mimicked her. Strangely enough the animal had acquired a taste for the mortal noodles.

"I will when he eats a little neater." The chef replied, using a napkin to wipe the boys dirtied face.

"Like that'll happen." The silver haired Anbu scoffed in disbelief.

"Oh, if I know Kushina as well as I do, she'll smack his manners into him," Neither of the ninja's could doubt his confident statement as the woman came to mind, "How has she been doing lately anyway? Last I heard she was headed to Suna."

"Sensei wanted to form a treaty so he sent her as ambassador with a couple other jounin, apparently it was the least dangerous yet highly ranked mission he could find." Kakashi answered monotonously, trying to ignore the stares of other customers.

"Ne, ne," Naruto tugged on his cousin's orange sleeve, bringing her down to his level so he could whisper in her ear, "How does Kashi-niichan eat with his mask on?" Miyu simplyn raised a brow considering her options before replying.

"It's a secret Hatake jutsu that was passed on by his father," She whispered back, "Only skilled ninja are able to perform it."

"Wow!" The boy quickly turned his admiring gaze back to his father's student, "You're amazing!" Kakashi had no idea what he was talking about but accepted the compliment regardless.

"Uh, thanks? I guess." Miyu quietly smothered her snickers behind her bowl of ramen.

"One more, Ojisan." She called, placing the newly cleaned bowl down.

"Only one more?" Teuchi repeated jokingly.

"Yeah, I was planning on training a little bit after so I don't want to get so full I'll throw up after." She explained, ruffling Naruto's deceptively fluffy hair.

"With who?" Kakashi asked curiously, catching her attention.

"I dunno, maybe Gai if he's free. Or Hayato." She shrugged, if she couldn't find anyone she would probably attempt to meditate for an hour or two before Itachi came back from the Academy.

"Not Iruka?" Kakashi questioned in surprise. The two were always unusually close.

"He's busy. Probably trying out the gift I got him for his birthday yesterday." Miyu smiled as her imagination created a comic scene.

"That weird scroll?" Naruto asked, joining their conversation.

"Yep," She popped the 'p' and accepted the fresh bowl of noodles Teuchi had made for her, "He probably won't be up for training anytime this week."

"Why not train with me then?" Kakashi offered, "We haven't spared in a while."

"I think I take you up on your offer, Hatake," Miyu decided, feeling her competitiveness rise, "Prepare to taste defeat!"

"Yeah! Fight, fight, fight!" Naruto cheered enthusiastically.

"Go, neechan!" A dark haired toddler cheered besides his blonde counterpart who was heavily rooting for his 'Kashi-niichan'. His onyx eyes watch in amazement as the two ninja sparred, one as agile as the wind and the other with the swiftness and force of a coursing river. The fox who had been sent to fetch him sat in between the boys, his tail swaying back and forth in emotions he would forever refuse to admit.

"You've gotten better." Kakashi stated, panting slightly from exertion. She definitely hadn't been this fast last time they had fought.

"I'd like to think so," Miyu replied with a smile, loosening her stance, "It wouldn't be good otherwise." The wind blew into the clearing as they descended into silence before dashing back into one another. Their movements were quick, almost untraceable to the ordinary eye, but for the sack of their young audience and the spirit of sparring all of their movements had already been turned down a notch or two. Soft thuds of thuds and taps littered the area with the shuffling and scraping of the feet. It was long ago that either of the two had thought about winning and now traded blows as if sharing a pleasant conversation.

"Come on! One of you kick the other's butt!" Naruto shouted, quickly getting bored with the roundabout battle.

"I hope he hasn't been learning that sort of language from you." Kakashi stated, with a smirking tone to his voice.

"From me?" Miyu faked innocence, "You know Kushina can be just as bad when she's riled up. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, Kashi."

"Kashi?"He raised a silver brow, "Maybe you the one who's picking up Naru-chan's habits."

"...yeah." She found herself caught in familiar feelings, trapped in old memories and lost in thought. Kakashi didn't hesitate and used it to his advantage, lightly pressing a palm to her throat while his other hand rested on her heart.

"I think I win this time." He announced, drawing back from the potentially lethal spots.

"Caught me off guard is all." Miyu muttered in disappointment. Something like this might be a serious problem if she was out of the field or in a tough situation.

**''I have told you I could erase them for you.''** She heard Kurama offer from the sidelines, his canine face impassive, **''I could do that if it would make you feel better. Get rid of all your sad memories, all the deaths. You have already changed a lot, and maybe that is enough.''** His red eyes bored into her own, with a wisdom of several thousand years and a strange sort of heaviness. With a sigh she merely shook her head.

"Is something wrong, nee-chan?" Sasuke asked, as he bounded up to her as fast as his little legs would take him.

"Not at all." She smiled and swept him up into her arms, listening to the innocent giggles that blessed her ears. From his peripheral vision Kakashi watched her carefully, unsure of her sudden change of mood. Had it been something he said?

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked the younger blonde, more out of curiosity than concern, as he cleared his former sensei's dining table of their lunch.

"Yeah," Miyu sighed, running a hand through her hair in exasperation, "Kurama was just being cruel." He looked around, the fox long gone after apparently exchanging his thoughts with his partner. It had been odd seeing her lose her temper to an animal, and one that was close to her at that.

"Cruel? What did he say?" He spared a glance at Minato who was attempting to feed Naruto across the room, obviously caught up in his current situation.

"Nothing new and nothing that was unexpected," She replied, "Honestly, he was just being his usual self, something I forget all the time. It's just, he's so smart and speaks normally enough that it isn't easy to remember he's a fox." The term 'demon' lingered in her mind, but she doubted anyone was ready to hear that even if she felt like revealing it.

"My pack can be like that at times too," Kakashi admitted, "In fact I bet anyone in possession of a summoning contract, even Minato-sensei, can tell you the same. Humans are a separate species, so we think and understand things differently. Our morals are vastly different from theirs. It's just how it is." Miyu sighed in acceptance, internally hoping she hadn't signed Iruka up for the same thing.

"I'll have to apologize when he gets back," She stated reluctantly, "He only says what he thinks might benefit me."

"Miyu oneechan!" A little blond blur ran towards her, firmly attaching itself to her leg.

"What is it Naru-chan?" Miyu cooed in response, hefting the boy up onto her waist.

"I think he wants to go outside and play." Minato replied, marveling at how similar they looked when she lifted his face close to her own. The Namikaze gene was frightening indeed.

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed loudly, "I wanna play ninja!"

"Play ninja, huh?" Miyu echoed, "Well maybe we can get your Kashi-niichan to help us?" Both pairs of blue eyes, one more cerulean while the other mirrored the sea, turned to stare at him.

"I'd be happy to join you." He said truthfully.

"What about your father?" Minato asked with something alike to a pout.

"You can be the bad guy!" Her little cousin declared adorably.

She found him standing silently a top the Hokage Monument, silently and no longer in his animal form, the tall foreboding male from her earlier memories with the mane of fiery hair.

"Do you know why I choose to take this form?" A gravelly voice asked, keeping his back turned to her while she watched the setting sun.

"You like the way he looks?" Miyu offered with a shrug.

"Hardly, though you must admit he is handsome," He admitted, somewhat vainly, "I chose this man because he fascinated me. Centuries ago he was a warrior, sent to protect his village from the monster that was wreaking havoc. That monster was me."

"Back in your human eating days then." She sated.

"If it were not for Hashirama, I would never have been forced to stop. I was in my prime," He turned away from the village to look her in the eyes, crimson eyes clashing with her own, "Imagine that, a single man, foolishly brave, came alone to slay me."

"And you killed him?"

"I devoured him," His answer was instantaneous, without a single moment of hesitation, "He fought for three days before finally falling, though it took me several years to grow that tail back. I honoured him by adding his form to my meagre collection, a rare male among my other deceptive disguises."

"It's nice and all-knowing a bit more about you, but why are you telling me this?" Miyu asked confused, wondering if this maybe had to do with their earlier dispute.

"One day, long after you're gone, I may take your form. Whatever legend you create will live on with me," He declared, "You have proved your worth to me, and nothing you decide to do from now until your death can change that. You have done enough, so why not allow yourself freedom, from the chains of your past that bind you." Miyu sighed, she really didn't want to fall back into another argument, knowing how stubborn they could both be.

"My past isn't something I could just forsake," the blonde answered slowly, "It serves as a reminder and it reminds me what exactly I'm fighting for."

"What you're fighting for?" Miyu turned in sheer surprise, facing the kunoichi she had unknowingly allowed to creep up on her, "Were you talking to someone?"

"Oh, Kushina-nee," Miyu exhaled slightly, trying to alleviate the tension in the body, "I was just chatting with Kurama." As if to prove her point a red fox stepped out from behind her, the man having vanished with the wind.

"Sometimes I wish I could speak to some sort of animal as well." The red haired woman said a little whimsically, "Besides summons that is."

"I can't actually speak to foxes if that's what you're thinking," the blonde replied with a smile, "It's just Kurama is smart enough to understand people and convey his own thoughts with some actions."

"Hmm, that makes sense," Kushina replied, "Anyway, it looks like we'll be having dinner together tonight." She said with a smile, "Mikoto's kindly invited Naru-chan and I to the compound. Of course that means Hokage-sama is also invited."

"Sasuke-chan will be happy," Miyu's smile widened, "I think he and Naruto are becoming close."

"Oh, if only I had had a daughter," the redhead whined. A small pang of sadness ran through the younger girl, her companion hoping to distract her from it by lightly thumping her leg with his tail.

"Well what's stopping you from trying again?" They shared a knowing look with one another before breaking out into laughter.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that," Kushina said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "Minato told me he wanted a big family anyway. Better get started."

"As long as you can give up missions again." Kurama watched idly as the once mother and daughter laughed and talked as they began their departure, and for the first time in what was probably thousands of years, he contemplated what it meant to be human.

The night turned into a small gathering of sorts at the compound, with the Hyuga head's family joining the fray. The three mothers gossiped at the table together whilst the men were sent to the kitchen to wash up. Somehow they had turned it into a competition with her sensei and his twin pulling ahead with their exemplary teamwork while the Namikaze-Uchiha team bickered. The sole Hatake had also been invited, and was mainly there to entertain the kids with his habit of eating through his mask. The peace lulled her into a sense of security, easing the pressure she had being feeling recently. Kurama had been right in a way, there was a lot she had changed, and maybe it would be enough.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," A voice intoned while the speaker sat himself besides her, "Care to share your thoughts?"

"I was thinking of Anbu." Miyu replied, turning to the silver haired ninja.

"Anbu? Already? I know this may sound a bit hypocritical coming from me, but aren't you a bit too young?" Kakashi rambled his way through the sentence, trying to not be offensive.

"Well you are five years my elder," She commented, "I probably won't enter anytime soon anyway. I'm quite content with my missions for now." He exhaled as if sighing in relief.

"That's good."

"Are you worried about me Kakashi?" Miyu asked curiously, tilting her head to one side. She hated the fact his face was hidden behind a mask and headband, resolving to just scrutinize his sole visible eye. It darted back and forth nervously as if seeking an escape from her.

"Well I can't say I'm not," He said, clearing his throat, "After all a lot of people would be devastated if something happened to you."

"Hm," She leant back thoughtfully, "Oddly enough that sounds quite nice. I mean I shouldn't feel happy that my death would make others sad, but I do. It's a pretty selfish thought..." Her voice was soft but her words were contrastingly loud. For a moment Kakashi took the time to really look at her at couldn't help but be confused with what he saw.

"It's a human fault." He told her, wondering what life she had led before arriving in Konoha. What kind of people had raised such a serious girl, or was it all due to her missing memories?

"Maybe not entirely human," She added, looking over to Kurama who was lying next to a sleeping Naruto, "And as a little incentive for this boring chat, I can tell you that if you died, I'd probably cry."

"Really?" the silver haired ninja was surprised, unsure at the warm feeling of satisfaction in his chest he felt after seeing her sad smile.

"Of course."

\- - - - - _Dream_ \- - - - -

It was a happy event for the whole village, something that would take their mind away from the brewing war. Everyone from innocent civilians to veteran ninja's had gathered a top the Hokage monument to witness it. Kakashi took a deep breath, facing the horizon with his back to them all. In front of him Tsunade gave a reassuring smile before letting her gaze drift behind him, her eyes widening in what could only be happiness and pride.

"You're a lucky man Hatake." The Hokage whispered to him. He stared back at her silently, his gaze showing how much he truly believed her words.

"I'm glad you're not late." A familiar, feminine voice teased. The deep calm it brought soothed the nerves that he told himself didn't exist.

"Actually, they told me I was due three hours earlier, so I arrived about half an hour ago." He replied lightly.

"Hatake, you..." The well-known Academy teacher wanted to strangle the man right then and there.

"It's fine Iruka," The same loving voice replied, "I'd be worried if it was otherwise." The teacher signed and stepped back, joining the rows of the standing audience, his job for the day done.

"Well let's get this ceremony started then," A frighteningly sober Tsunade began. Kakashi only partially listened to her words, replying when he needed to while trying to catch sneak peeks at the woman beside him. She wore a beautiful Kimono that hugged her lithe form, coloured in a countless shades of orange, red and yellow, mimicking the autumnal season and bordered with lavish gold while tight around her waist was a crimson obi. Her face was completely hidden by a pale, thin veil that shimmered in the evening sun while her blonde hair was elaborately pinned up, a few strands purposely allowed to tumble down to her shoulders.

"What's the point of me actually being here if neither of you are actually listening?" Tsunade asked, glaring at both younger ninja that had failed to answer her repeated questioned, obviously lost in their own thoughts.

"Sorry baa-chan," the blonde respond, her voice alluding to the grin she most likely wore, "Can we just get this over with? I don't really like wearing kimonos, it's kind of hard to move." The Hokage sighed while the silver haired man let out a chuckle.

"Why don't we get on to this best part then?" He suggested, with a sly smile, quickly pulling the woman towards him as he flipped the flimsy veil backwards. He was greeted by a stunning beauty. Her full lips darkened slightly with red and her blue eyes edged with black.

"Eager, are we?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Very." He replied simply, swiftly pulling down his mask and capturing her lips in one smooth motion. He ignored the exasperated sighs and cheers of celebration completely, entirely focused on a single person. Without pausing his kiss, her caught her left hand and slipped a silver band over one of her slim fingers, marking the woman as his own.

\- - - - - _Reality_ \- - - - -

Kurama sat completely still, eerily bathed in the moonlight coming in from the window, as he watched and observed the human that was once his jail. As she was, asleep, clutching the rings around her neck, he noticed how completely vulnerable she was. How he could take everything from her in one swift moment. He padded closer, looming over her sleeping face. It was definitely a plausible possibility but he lacked the motivation. Deep inside him he cursed the somewhat human conscience he had gained, missing the ease of simply being a ruthless monster.

**A/N Thanks for reading~**

**This chapter is just a random one. A bit of relationship building with Kakashi and Miyu, and Miyu and Kurama.**

**There's a small section of Kurama's previous life and habits.**

**Iruka has gained an 'unknown' summoning scroll that'll be revealed next chapter (if you haven't already guessed it).**

**And the dream sequence is Miyu's/Naruto's marriage to Kakashi...yeah**

**Anyway, next chapter is hopefully the Hyuga affair so stay tuned :D**


	22. The Hyuga affair

**2 Years Later – December 27th**

"Welcome to Konohagakure," Miyu greeted as the foreign team of ninja approached the main gates, eyeing their headbands all the while, "State your business."

"We wish for and audience with the Hokage." The leader, she assumed, held out an official scroll that had been sealed with the mark of the fourth Raikage.

"I see," Miyu didn't have to check the scroll to know what their business was about, "Follow me then." She turned and set a brisk pace for the Hokage tower.

"So," One of the ninja attempted some small talk, though his smile was a bit too tense, "You must be a chuunin I'm guessing? Stuck on gate duty maybe?"

"Actually, you're wrong on both accounts." She replied, indulging him a bit.

"A genin then? First time gatekeeper?" He tried again.

"Hm, wrong again," She shook her head lightly, eliminating the most common assumptions, "This is the first time in months I've been in charge of people's comings and goings. It was the only mission I was allowed since I'm supposed to be recuperating." She allowed a small smile that unknowingly eased the foreigners' tension.

"Jounin then?" The Kumogakure ninja continued, "Pretty rare for someone your age."

"Not as much as you think." She answered with a shrug. Miyu led the group to the red landmark and ushered them inside, sharing a few words with the secretary before proceeding upstairs, ninja in tow. "You're lucky he's not very busy today," The blonde commented, "Otherwise you might have had to wait a day or two."

"Thank you for escorting us." The same ninja she had been conversing with, replied politely as they stood in front of the office's large, double doors.

"It's my job." She knocked on the door a few times and waited.

"Who is it?" A young, cheerful voice called out.

"Miyu," She replied, "Ambassadors from Kumogakure are here for an audience."

"Come in." His tone changed into something a bit more professional but when they opened the door they were still greeted by a smiling face.

"Should I return to my post?" Miyu asked, wondering if Minato wanted to keep her out of political affairs.

"No, you're fine as is," He replied, asserting her place as a high ranking shinobi in front of the foreigners, "Now what was it you wanted to discuss?" The leader of the group cleared his throat, taking in the similarities between their guide and her leader, and storing the information away for further use.

"Kumogakure would like to propose an alliance." He announced, passing over the important scroll.

"Alliance?" Minato was pleasantly surprised as he read through what he took as an earnest request. Miyu remained sceptical regardless. Sure some of her memories were a little foggy after all these years but she remembered enough of her history to know what happened last time Kumogakure requested an alliance. This time she was also emotionally invested and would not allow her sensei to die. "Hm, I'll need some time to think this over," The Hokage stated, "I'll send a reply when I've decided but feel free to stay the night."

"Thank you for your consideration." Their leader said smoothly.

"Bear here, will lead you to your accommodations," One of the hidden Anbu dropped from the ceiling landing next to the door, "Enjoy your stay in Konoha." Only once the ambassadors were out of sight did Minato release a sigh and another smile. "Isn't this great Miyu? If we secure an alliance there will surely be fewer wars."

"Don't get too excited," She warned, "Alliances don't last forever and such a thing as betrayal exists."

"Bah!" He waved off her concerns, "I fought the Yondaime Raikage in the last war. He seems like a straightforward type of guy." Miyu sighed with a small shake of her head wondering if Kumo was still willing to go through with its plans now that Minato was alive and well. As of now Kumogakure was the only village that could contest with Konoha in terms of economy and military. "But let's put these thought aside for now, I can't decide without telling the council after all."

"I think I'll be taking my leave now," Miyu decided rather abruptly, "I promised I'd help Itachi train."

"Train? I doubt the little prodigy needs anymore training." Minato joked.

"Well, he is still a genin," Miyu acknowledged, "But I think he wants to take the chuunin exam either this year or next year."

"Kid's these days," The older blond sighed, "Always wanting to grow up fast."

"Happy birthday, Hina-chan." Miyu called, handing the child a small wrapped parcel.

"Arigatou!" The young heiress chirped happily. She gently put down the flowers she had clutched in her left hand, courtesy of Naruto and Sasuke's team effort, in favour of unwrapping her newest gift.

"What is it?" Hiashi asked his daughter as the rest of the guest clamoured around in interest.

"A bracelet!" She revealed, showing the white delicate looking band. It was slightly flat, with enough room to carve in small flowers and birds.

"Wow, it's gorgeous." Hitomi uttered as Hinata easily slipped her hand in and out of the too large circle, "Though maybe slightly too big for her wrist."

"You activate it with chakra." Miyu explained, tapping the white bracelet once it was around Hinata's wrist. Conveniently it shrunk just enough that it would no longer slip off. "If you want to take it off you just need to reactivate it again."

"Where did you find it?" Kushina asked, wondering what it could possibly be made off.

"I made it." The blonde revealed, "I even installed a couple safety features for our little heiress." She left it off with a mysterious smile as the rest of the guest continued to pass on gifts.

"What king of safety features did you put in?" Hizashi asked, as he watched Iruka hand over a set beginner learning items. On the brunet's shoulder sat a prideful eagle, that quietly preened, enjoying the liveliness of the party.

"I guess anti-kidnapping ones mainly," She answered, "Honestly if I was a bit more paranoid I'd be slapping them onto everyone."

"Hm, maybe I'll ask you to make one for Sasuke." Fugaku contemplated aloud, joining their little conversation.

"It's a bit girly for his taste," Miyu said with a laugh, "He'd hate it."

"Hn, he'd wear it if you told him you made it," The Uchiha head replied honestly, "He absolutely idolizes you and Itachi."

"He has a right to," Minato cut in, "You're great with kids and as a shinobi. Must be the Namikaze blood coming though."

"Ahem," Fugaku cleared his throat loudly, "I think you mean the Uchiha blood, Minato."

"Hey, don't leave out us Uzumaki, dattebane!" Kushina all but jumped into the fray as the three began a long and heated argument in an isolated area of the room.

"Whatever blood she has doesn't matter," Hizashi began in a wise tone, "After all it was my teaching as her sensei!" Miyu watched with a blank expression as the Hyuga head promptly ignored the quartet in favour of continuing the party.

"Thank you very much for the beautiful flowers Inoichi."

"It's no problem," The T.I head replied, trying to pull his, apparently shy daughter, out from behind his leg, "Come on Ino, go say hello." Slowly the shy blonde inched around enough to offer a tentative 'congratulations' to the equally shy Hyuga heiress.

"How adorable." Miyu cooed, watching the two girls interact. The more they talked the more Ino's inherent confidence came out, making her seem more and more like the kunoichi she'd grow into every passing second.

"Adorable?" a deep voice questioned, "More like troublesome, don't you think? Just wait until you're old enough to get your own kids, you'll hate it and love it at the same time."

"Ah, Shikaku-san, how are you?" The blonde turned to greet the spiky haired tactician, keeping an eye out for the other guests, "Where's Shikamaru-kun?"

"The brat's faking a stomach bug just so he can stay at home," the Nara explained, exasperatedly, "I hope he understands soon that Yoshino's mothering can be more troublesome than parties."

"Wow, he's three and already picking up your bad habits." Shikaku only grunted in response.

"Better mine that someone worse."

"Worse, he says," Chouza added as he passed, dragging away his friends attention.

"Hey, I'm telling you he could be worse." The brunet defended weakly.

"I've never seen a kid that sleeps so much," Inoichi added, "Or one that's so fascinated by clouds."

"They're interesting alright," Shikaku snapped, "Plus he's a kid, anything could catch his attention at this age."

"I guess," Miyu allowed, "But Sasuke and Naruto are more interested in playing ninja."

"Can't blame them since they're whole family is in the trade," Shikaku replied, "Maybe you should take up a peaceful hobby, raise some animals or something."

"Kurama would eat them out of jealousy." She laughed.

What Kakashi next woke to, wasn't the chirping of the dawning birds he was used to, but instead an eerie, high pitched howl that cut through the silent night. His sleep dazed mind registered the sound as familiar. A second howl rang out, this time jolting Kakashi with its sudden urgency. He had heard it before, it was what he likened to Kurama's distress call, which normally meant Miyu was in some sort of life-threatening danger. His mind went over the info twice, as if confirming its reality before the Anbu suddenly jumped into action, quickly dressing in his gear before jumping through the window.

"What is going on?" He asked, arriving at the scene, within the outskirts of the Hyuga compound.

"There was an attempted kidnapping on the Hyuga heiress," His Hokage explained, all emotion carefully masked on his face as he gazed to where Hisashi stood by a single knocked out ninja, talking furiously to Inoichi, "We're lucky Hinata-chan had that bracelet on. Since it releases pulses of chakra it was easy for the Hyuga to find her after she was captured. Honestly it's a great anti-kidnapping trick for the Hyuga and their Byakugan." Minato rambled ever so slightly

"That's not all is it?" Kakashi questioned, recognizing the offender as one of the ambassadors from Kunogakure and leaving him to wonder where the other two were.

"No, Fugaku informed me moments before that Miyu has gone missing," Despite his well hidden intentions, Kakashi could hear the worry and concern in his voice.

"You don't think they attempted a second abduction...?" He uttered more to himself than anyone else.

"I've already sent a team of ninja out to find her, including a few trackers from the Inuzuka clan," Minato answered, "but your assumptions are highly likely." The mere thought of the young girl being forcefully taken away left a bad taste in the Anbu's mouth.

"I request that you allow me to join the search, Hokage-sama." He respectfully dropped to his knees keeping his eyes focused on the ground. He could feel the moisture in the air, meaning it would rain soon, lessening their chances of finding her if they didn't act fast.

"You have my permission," the Yondaime allowed, hating that he himself was needed within the village for now, "Please bring her back safely."

"Hai!" Kakashi quickly bit down on his thumb and rand through a multitude of hand seals before slamming his hand onto the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" As his eight ninken popped into existed, Kakashi stood and saluted his commander, before jumping into the trees.

"What did you call us for, Kakashi?" the smallest of the pack asked, his voice, deep and gruff.

"One of our ninja may have been abducted and we need to find her at all costs," Kakashi explained, "Do you remember Miyu's scent, Pakkun?"

"Miyu, who would've thought? She must've been caught off guard," the pug-like dog remarked casually as he jumped ahead, "Anyway, I never forget a scent, so leave this to me."

"Miyu, wake up." Kakashi gently shook the girl's shoulder, hoping that she'd open her eyes.

"She won't wake up," the enemy nin stated, wincing in pain as Kakashi's ninken tightened their already merciless hold, "We dosed her with a potent poison-"

"Shut up," the silver haired teen cut in, his voice sharp and commanding, "Don't speak as if she's already dead." He shot the man a deadly glare, wondering how he could even have the gall to look guilty.

"Nng...Kashi?" Miyu bleary opened her blue eyes, much to the surprise of both shinobi, "What happened?"

"You were abducted." The Anbu replied, slowly helping the girl to her feet, "How are you feeling?"

"A bit stiff, and my head is pounding," She didn't feel confident in her legs at all and ended up using him as a leaning post, only then did she notice the lone Kumo nin tied to the ground by a pack of dogs, "Where's Kurama?"

"I sent him to report to Minato-sensei after he helped me find you." Kakashi answered, leaving Miyu to wonder why Kurama hadn't saved her himself.

"You..." The missing nin seemed utterly confused, "How are you alive?"

"Give me one reason why she should answer your question," Kakashi replied disdainfully.

"I'm already a dead man aren't I?" the Kumo nin replied with a tense smile, "She's related to the Hokage right? An attempted kidnapping is a sure way to get executed as far as I know..."

"It's a bloodline," Miyu gave, recognising him as the friendlier ambassador.

"Ah, I see..." He quietened down, several thoughts running through his mind though his face remained sombre, "I assume my companions were also caught?"

"Of course," Kakashi answered simply, "They were nearly killed when the Hyuga head caught them, luckily our Hokage had enough sense to stop him. Wouldn't want to start a full scale war now would we?" Even though he kept his words light his voice was stern and threatening.

"Please refrain," The ambassador pleaded, "We we're idiots for even attempting something like this, hoping that our leader would be pleased, when all we've done is cause trouble for him."

"The Raikage isn't behind this?" Miyu asked in slight surprise.

"Of course not, who would risk the lives of his people for a mere bloodline, no matter how powerful it seems." He scoffed at his own foolishness.

"You'd be surprised." She commented softly, "Though that piece of information, if it is true, may have saved both our lands from pointless bloodshed."

"Hearing that brings me a sense of relief." He exhaled a deep breath and Kakashi twitched in annoyance, wondering how he could pretend to be so calm when the road ahead of him seemed so bleak.

"You're a strange man." The blonde stated with a wry smile, "What is your name?"

"Naoki, Yotsuki Naoki," The corner of his lips tilted upwards ever so slightly, "And who exactly are you, miss Kunoichi?"

"Miyu, Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki Miyu." She said, announcing all the bloodlines she was tied to. Naoki let out a low whistle of appreciation.

"That's a death sentence for sure," He punctuated the clause with an almost hysterical laugh before turning to Kakashi with unknown tears in his eyes, "You're a lucky one, better not let someone snatch her away..."

"What an idiot." Kakashi complained exasperatedly, the Kumo nins words echoing in his head. What did he mean by not letting anyone snatch her away? They were nothing more than friends, comrades, yet why did that thought leave him feeling troubled?

"Better a kind idiot than someone who truly meant harm." Miyu retorted from her position on his back as he piggy backed her to the hospital.

"I suppose." He felt reassured in hearing her calm voice, the panic of her being dead having slowly receeded.

"Ah, what a tiring day," She sighed, looking up at the full moon, lingering in the night sky, "I hope Hinata-chan will be alright after all of this."

"She'll be fine, she has a lot of people to rely on after all." Kakashi answered, shifting her weight as they neared the understaffed hospital. He wished the Sandaime's search for his students, at least for the slug princess, was more fruitful. "The same goes for you. Be sure to come to me if there's anything troubling you," he felt a little embarrassed saying such a thing, "I mean, Minato-sensei would be happy to hear you out to. In fact I think he wishes you would rely on him some more. You're always trying to do things on your own..."

"I could say the same about you," Miyu replied, laughing at her companion's slight confusion, "But it's just the way we are."

"What's the big deal, Kurama?" Miyu asked, sitting up on her futon as she threaded her fingers through Itachi's silky hair. The sleeping child hadn't left her side at all since she returned, and she found it strangely heart-warming.

**''What do you mean?''** The fox replied, licking his front paws as he sat on the windowsill.

"Why did you leave me when I was captured? Surely you could've have killed a single jounin?" Her stare was piercing yet the fox never broke eye contact.

**''I just decided he was not worth my time. Hatake was nearby, so I led him to you.''** He showed off a toothy grin. **''Would you not rather be saved by the man you love?''**

Miyu merely sighed at the whims of the demon.

"Saa..." She exhaled softly, fiddling with the rings on her necklace.

"Nee-chan?" Itachi sleepily lifted his head from her lap, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic," Miyu replied with a smile, "Did you enjoy our sleep?"

"...Hn," his cheeks darkened, it wasn't like he had meant to fall asleep, "What time is it?"

"Just a little after dawn." Kurama jumped off the ledge and pattered his way to the futon, curling up and deciding to sleep now that Itachi was awake.

"Ah, I have to get ready for my team meeting then," He stated, slowly getting up, "I think we'll be taking an escort mission today."

"Oh really? You might be out of Konoha for a day or two. Make sure to take care of yourself." She mothered over him a bit, fixing his messy bed hair. It was starting to get a bit long, she noted.

"So what is it you wanted, Miyu?" Minato asked, carefully putting his paper work to the side. He was glad she had recovered from whatever deadly poison the Kumo ambassadors had fed her, but even with her apparent bloodline, he couldn't help but worry.

"A vacation!" She stated boldly, while Kurama sat patiently by her side.

"A vacation?" Minato repeated.

"Well not exactly a vacation," Miyu clarified, "I just need permission to be out of Konoha for a month or two."

"For what purpose?" The Hokage asked curiously, "And whereabouts will you be going?"

"I was thinking about going up to the north of Shimogakure," She explained, "To follow some rumours."

"Shimogakure is right on the edge of the Land of Lightning..." He paused to give her a meaningful look, "I'd rather not risk you going to such a place for the sake of chasing up some rumours."

"I'll be in disguise the whole time," Miyu promised, "And I have Kurama to protect me."

"Still," He was beginning to find it hard to maintain eyes contact, "What rumours are so important that you need to go that far?"

"There's a sword I'd like to find." She said simply.

"A sword." The Hokage echoed, watching as his subordinate nodded.

**A/N Thanks for reading!**

**This chapter's a bit dodgy since I haven't edited as thoroughly so...**

**So the Hyuga affair is pretty much avoided. And Miyu is leaving for a brief moment.**

**The next chapter I'm looking forward too, more than ever because, well...I'll be showing another another familiar face :D**

**And we're on our way to randomness! Away we go!**


	23. Particular swords and fragile bones

**1 Month later – On the border of Yugakure and Shimogakure...**

"Do you sense anything yet, Kurama?" Miyu asked, scouring the ravine alongside them.

**''No, my nose cannot pick up anything remotely metallic.''** The fox grumbled back, annoyed at being used as some sort of tracking hound. **''The only thing I smell is some almost carrion.''**

"Almost carrion?" His partnered echoed curiously, "Are you saying there's someone dying around here?"

**''Maybe, but worrying about them is pointless,'' **the fox responded, **''you should focus your attention elsewhere if you wish to find this sword. The month Namikaze had allowed you is almost over.''**

"So be it," She shrugged of his concern, "If I we can't find it, maybe it wasn't meant to be found. Instead, why don't you lead me to the person in trouble?" The fox huffed but did as told, carefully leading her into the ravine and pointing her towards a small, hollowed out cavern. It was dark, making it hard for her to see, but inside she definitely saw what looked like a childlike body, curled up in the corner, trying to keep away from the cold. Slowly, she reached out for him, gently lifting him out of the cavern and into her arms.

"He's burning up." She uttered allowed, feeling the feverish heat of the child's forehead.

**''There is some water nearby.''** Kurama commented helpfully, knowing his partner would feel better if she managed to save the human child. **''That way.''**

"Thanks Kurama." Miyu replied, as they descended deeper into the ravine. It seemed an odd place to find water but she trusted the demon's senses. Soon enough a rushing sound met her ears and she knew exactly what she'd be looking for. The further they walked the louder the roar got until the sound of falling water was almost deafening. The blonde looked up where the ice and snow from the mountains in Shimo had fallen to meet the warm lands of Yugakure, melting to form a narrow waterfall. Swiftly, she put the child down, soaking some cloth in the shallow edges of the pool, before returning to tend to him. "I wonder why he looks so familiar." Miyu voiced, sweeping away his pale hair. It seemed without using her Sharingan, she would have to wait for daylight to see if it was truly someone she knew.

**''Kit.''** Kurama's voice caught her attention, as he stood standing, gazing into the falls.

"What is it?" She asked, peering into the haze, "What is that?" A faint glint caught her gaze from within the waterfall. She hadn't noticed it before, most likely due to the blatant distraction of the water body, but the air around it shimmered with some sort of hidden power, one that made the earth and stones thrum with energy. "It's here," She breathed,

"Who would have thought...?"

**''I assume you will be alright going in alone?''** The fox stated, sitting himself by the water's edge.

"Of course," She paused and gave him a quizzical look, "Is there a particular reason why you aren't coming?"

**''The chakra it emits, repulses me. It taste far too pure and sharp for my liking.''** He hid his snout under his paws to emphasise the fact, scrunching his nose up disdainfully.

"I see, well at least take care of the kid while I'm gone." Soundlessly, she stepped into the pool, walking towards the falling torrent of water, leaving a small trail of ripples behind her. Pushing the air around her, the blonde tore open a doorway, parting the waterfall with ease, before stepping into the cave. The stone walls glowed an eerie blue and the surrounding area was lit with gentle chakra giving her and easy view of the item she had been hunting. There on a raised stone slab, in the centre of the hidden cavern, was a single blade, its black sheath lying beside it. "Is this it?" Miyu wondered, studying the masterful work of the katana. Oddly enough, the edge seemed to be on the back of the sword. Tentatively, she reached out for it, only to be repelled by a painful zap of chakra. "What's was that?"

_"That,"_a deep voice resonated, _"Was me."_ The blonde's head snapped up in an instant, quickly jumping back a safe distance as she scanned the area. There looming behind the sword, was a strange creature she had never seen before. One that she knew can't have been there a moment ago. _"Who are you, human?"_

"I am Miyu." Miyu responded, observing the metallic scales of the reptilian beast. She would have called it a serpent if not for the four dangerous claws it wielded. "And you?"

_"I am, Goro Masamune,"_ the beast answered proudly, _"Have you come for me?"_

"Come for you?" She looked back to the sword and noticed the odd creature carved onto both the blade and its sheath, only now realizing that they were one and the same with the beast before her, "I suppose so."

_"What is your purpose?"_ The beast question, making her wonder if there was some sort of test she had to pass.

"My purpose?" She echoed in thought, "I'm simply searching for a weapon strong enough for me. I heard rumours of you and it fascinated me."

_"For power then."_ The beast simplified, _"I can accept that, but I cannot allow a tainted child to wield me."_

"Tainted?" Miyu was mildly offended.

_"Tainted, as you have a connection with the nine-tailed demon." _Its low voice rang loud and clear, _"You will not be able to touch the sword."_

"Is that a challenge?"

**''You fool.''** Kurama snarled, **''I do not know what happened in there, but why have you come back so injured.''**

"Haha..."Miyu awkwardly rubbed the back of her head with her left hand, her right arm hanging limply by her side, roughly bandaged from her shoulder down, "It seemed it was a little harder to take the sword that I thought. You didn't hear anything?"

**''Inside that waterfall, your very presence disappeared,'' **He looked at the second by her waist in disdain, **''I feel like it was not worth the trouble.''**

"Don't be such a worry," His former container, shrugged in a carefree manner, "My arm will heal soon enough."

**''I understand that,''** the fox growled. **''What bothers me is the amount of damage you took that was so great it has not already healed.'' **Miyu just smiled at him stupidly.

"How's the child been?" She asked, changing the topic. With the sun slowly rising, the area was lighting up, meaning it would be easier for her to find any distinguishing features.

She was surprised to see the long white hair, finding it an uncommon hair colour, but what shocked her most, were the two red dots above his brow.

**''He will wake soon.''** As if on cue, the small body stirred, and the boy slowly opened his vivid green eyes.

"Hello," Miyu crouched down and spoke softly, not wanting to frighten the kid, "My name's Miyu, what's yours?"

When he first opened his eyes, he questioned whether or not he had finally died. A quiet, soothing voice caught his attention and he turned his gaze to where a pretty stranger was learning over him, her eyes reminding him of the ocean. He realized he had been asked a question and made to respond but his parched throat protested, pushing him into a painful coughing fit. almost instantly, he was lead into a sitting position where a simple water canister was placed against his lips. Slowly, the stranger gave him water, pacifying his throat, though his stomach now reminded him of his starvation. Miyu, as she had introduced also offered him a ration bar which he devoured in an instant, the nutritious, tasteless meal settling in his stomach. Feeling a lot better he took the chance to look around, noting his back was leaning against a very large fox. The animal seemed far too intelligent for its species and he felt quite nervous under its gaze. Remembering Miyu's earlier question, he made a second attempt at answering it.

"Arigatou," His voice was still a bit hoarse, "My name in Kaguya Kimimaro... Is there, any way I can repay you?" He watched as an odd expression flittered on her face for a brief moment, soon hidden by a warm smile.

"Kimimaro-kun," She stood up and he wondered if she was going to leave him after hearing his name, "Would you like to come with me?" He was startled by the question, confusion settling in his mind. Why would she want a rogue orphan like him? Her blonde hair moved in the breeze and he marvelled at how pretty the strands looked.

"I-," he had no idea what he wanted to do or say, "Why?"

"You look like someone with nowhere else to go," Miyu answered, wondering if she was making the right choice, "It must be tough, being so young yet having gone through so much." Kimimaro got the odd feeling that she knew a lot about him, maybe even more than he himself. At the same time, he wanted to be with such a kind person, he wanted to stay with his saviour. She stretched out her good hand in offering and tentatively, he accepted it.

"Kawashi," Miyu called as she entered the demure room of the inn she was currently staying at. Kimimaro jumped by her side as he was startled by a swooping bird that landed before them. It was rather large and looked very intelligent.

"Hai, Miyu-san." The bird squawked, bring a wing up in mock salute, "What can I do for you?"

"Mind sending a message back to Minato?" Miyu said writing a hasty note, "Tell him I'll be returning to the village. I'll be moving fast so I should only be a couple days behind you."

"No problem," He allowed the message to be tied to his legs, "all the while staring at her arm and the boy curiously, "I feel like a lot has happened, Iruka will not be happy to hear you've been injured." Leaving on that final note, the summons took flight, gliding out of the window before she could retort.

"... the bird...talked." Kimimaro muttered, slightly shocked.

"That was a summons." Miyu explained with a shrug. It was also one of the few reasons Minato allowed her to leave the village. By borrowing Iruka's summons she could contact the easily, sending one or two status reports back every few days.

"Where are you going?" He asked tentatively, realizing his saviour seemed to be a shinobi, a young one at that.

"We," Miyu corrected, "Are going home."

"It's nice to see you're looking better today!" Gai shouted loudly, slapping his rival on the back, "What's put you in such a good mood?"

"Good mood?" Kakashi asked curiously, he hadn't had a reason to feel particularly bad, but then again Gai could be surprisingly insightful, "I can't think of anything in particular..."

"Oh," The jumpsuit wearing male put on a thoughtful look, "I heard Miyu's on her way back. It's been a while since we last spared, I hope she's gotten stronger." The taijutsu expert didn't miss the way Kakashi's expression lightened. If he was a betting man he would say that there would be a smile under his mask.

"One of Iruka's eagles returned with her note just the other day, she could be arriving in the village any time now." He idly wondered how she was doing. The last time he saw her was during a brief mission escorting the foolish Kumo nin back to their disappointed leader, before they split paths at Yugakure. Somehow the trip back, without her soothing presence, had seemed unreasonably long and...lonely. He wasn't afraid to admit that something like that, but if one were to ask him why he felt such a way, he would have no answer.

"I'm guessing you two don't know yet, then?" Genma asked as he walked by the duo, intending to visit the bar after standing at gate duty for the majority of the day.

"Know what?" Gai asked, his teammate pausing with a raised brow.

"That Miyu's back, I met her at the end of my shift," the bandanna wearing shinobi recounted, "It looked like she was injured, and there was a weird kid with her..." By the time he had finished Kakashi had already vanished, much to their amusement. "You don't think he..." Genma whispered dramatically to Gai, despite the fact the street they were on was near empty.

"I do," Gai nodded wisely, "Though if it continues like this he will be the last to know." He felt bad for his ignorant rival, and hoped it wouldn't be too late before he realized his feelings.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi called as he knocked on the solid wooden doors.

"Oh, Kakashi, you have great timing," Minato called within, "Come right in!" His former student didn't hesitate, entering with a confident stride as he surveyed the area. Kakashi noticed three things straight off, one being an odd white haired kid standing by Miyu's side, the second being her bandaged right arm, and finally the new sword that hung by her waist.

"Kakashi, it's nice to see you after this long." Miyu greeted warmly, the child making an effort to hide himself behind her.

"Same here." He smiled under his mask, looking at the white haired boy with curiosity.

"Let me introduce you," Miyu stated as Kakashi sent her a questioning look, "Kakashi, this is Kaguya Kimimaro. Kimimaro, this is one of my friends and another ninja of Konohagakure, Hatake Kakashi." The young boy gave a polite bow before returning to his hiding place.

"As it is, Kakashi, Kimimaro-kun will be joining our village," Minato explained, "Under the charge of Miyu." Kakashi merely raised his brow.

"He's going to be my apprentice," Miyu admitted with some embarrassment, "I'm planning to teach him to become a swordsman as well as a shinobi."

"I see," Kakashi commented, "But I feel like there's something more..."

"Aren't you perceptive?" Minato laughed, "Actually Miyu was thinking about moving out of the compound. Seeing as the elders aren't very welcome to those that aren't of Uchiha blood, and Kimimaro is a little too young to be on his own."

"And?" Kakashi pressed, feeling suspicious at where this was going.

"Well, say hello to your new neighbours."

"Hn." Fugaku was more than a little upset his daughter would be moving out. In fact, in his ideal future, she would be staying within the compound and her husband, should she choose to wed, would move in. From the sighing in the kitchen it seemed he wasn't the only one upset. As far as he understood, Mikoto hadn't quite got the daughter she had wanted, one she could spoil and dress up, but the two females were close none the less. His brow furrowed further as he wondered how he would tell his sons, glaring at the harbinger that had the gall to yip at him. And to add to his despair, the elders wouldn't stop pestering him about plans to further the clan...the whole thing was giving him a migraine.

"Fugaku," Mikoto halted her activities to call out to her husband who was lost in his own thoughts, "Sasuke is back from the academy." With another heavy sigh, the clan head stood and left to greet his youngest. At least, he reminded himself, Itachi was still on a mission.

"Miyu-sensei..." Kimimaro tentatively entered the sparsely furnished room where his saviour sat crossed-legged on the floor, her new katana laid out in front of her.

"Yes, Kimimaro-kun?" The blonde perked up, beaming at the term of address. She winced a little as she got up, the force on her injured arm enough to remind her of her reckless actions.

"I finished the work you set." He showed her a stack of papers, each of them marked with childish handwriting.

"You finished earlier than expected," Miyu praised with a smile. She had decided instead of getting his battle skills up, it would first be best to work with the fundamentals. "Here I have a gift for you," She handed over a stack of books that ranged from basic history to theoretical studies to nature, "Well I guess it's not really a gift, but more work." She finished with a sheepish smile.

"Thank you..." The white haired boy hugged the stack close to his chest, smiling into the leather bound pages. Miyu refrained from cooing at the adorable sight. Whilst her body was that of a 12 year old she was still, mentally much older, and Kimimaro was quickly awakening her maternal side.

**''How typical of you,''** Kurama, grunted as he walked into the room, thumping his tail against the boy's leg. It amused him the way the child jumped, not hearing his soundless footsteps. **''It seems like you continually find ways of saving more and more people.''**

"He won't hurt you," Miyu assured, wondering if the fox really appeared that intimidating, "Kurama is just teasing you." The last Kaguya relaxed ever so slightly, but still gave the animal a wary look.

**''He is very perceptive,''** the fox almost purred in approval, **''you will be working with fine materials... He will not tarnish your name.'' **Of course not, Miyu huffed mentally, slightly offended at the demon's words. She chose to ignore any further comments and decided to leave the room she had claimed as the study, giving one final glance back at her newest sword. She hadn't heard it voice since the time it had accepted her as its master, in fact she wondered if the whole event had been real at all. It was quite possible it could have all been an illusion.

"What do you want for dinner?" Miyu decided to think about it at another time, distracting herself with the present. Kimimaro stood, completely still, blinking owlishly at her. For a moment the jinchuriki stopped to wonder what he had eaten in his time with his clan. "Do you like meat?"

"..." He stayed silent, contemplating her question, "I don't dislike it." He finally answered.

"It looks like you'll get to try a lot of different foods while you're here," The blonde noted, "For now, I think I'll just bring you over to one of my personal favourites..."

**A/N And that's then end of the chapter (I hope it wasn't too short.)**

**Anyway as you can see, the sword I gave to Miyu is one of my own creation, and won't play a particularly big role besides being a tool I can mention in further battles. The info goes as such;**

**Name: Goro Masamune (Seiken/Sacred sword)**

**Type: Katana (Reverse blade).**

**Appearance: Slightly longer than average and less curved. A black sheath, decorated by a serpentine dragon with delicate folded wings, and rectangular guard with inwardscurving sides. The same dragon appears on the edge of the blade itself.**

**Ability: The dragon on the blade can be summoned, appearing metallic though very lifelike. The sword has the ability to judge and will not cut the innocent and undeserving.**

**Summary: A sentient blade created by Masamune. It was his final sword which he poured the remainder of his life into. It is rumoured to have the power to heal.**

**It's a rather particular sword and I'm looking forward to playing with it's abilities and such :D In fact the giant 'dragon' that was guarding it was merely the lingering remnants of it's makers chakra.**

**Miyu has also picked up a student...one Kaguya Kimimaro... (I feel like at this point i might lose some readers -_-') In the end she'll be getting her own team, but not the way most jounin do (ie. by being given a green genin team), instead her team will be built up one at a time... (have fun guessing the other members). The only thing I will share is that her team won't be completed until possibly the Chuunin exams...'**

**She's also moved out of the compound and into the same apartment as Kakashi!**

**Anyway, as always, thanks for reading :D**


	24. Foreboding nights

**1 year later – Western district of Konohagakure**

"Just like that," Miyu guided softly, repositioning the boy's left leg before stepping back to criticise her work, "Hold you're out a little higher and swing down. Perfect." She watched as the boy beamed at the praise. "I want you to repeat this exercise a hundred times a day until I'm satisfied." She instructed.

"Hai, Sensei!" Kimimaro responded, repeating the process and swinging down the wooden sword she had gifted him with, a second time.

"Mah, isn't he hardworking?" A new voice commented, as her neighbour soundlessly made his way to their joint backyard. Miyu could only smile proudly. The Kimimaro she had known had been deadly and wild, with no training other than his own. She wondered how much further he could go if given some early basic instruction and a handful of people he could count on.

"I've tried to postpone his training for as long as I can," The blonde began, "But it seems like it's in his blood." She let out a dry laugh as she watched the five year old practice.

His movements were fluid, and already, the wooden katana looked like a mere extension of his body. It was far more advanced than most beginners would ever reach, and spoke of inherent talent.

"A Kaguya, huh." She heard a soft sigh, "Not many people in Fire country have heard much of them, other than rumours, and that's only some of the higher ranking shinobi. I'm curious as to how he will turn out." A single dark eye locked onto the girl's still form, watching her intently as she never looked away from her practising student. The kid was lucky to have such a devoted and skilled teacher. "So how's he getting along with the others?" Her brow furrowed as she opened her mouth to respond.

"Itachi seems to understand, as well as most of the Uchiha, but Sasuke still puts up a fuss every once in a while." She winced, thinking back to when she had first moved out. The Uchiha brother's had been inconsolable in their own standoffish way. It had taken a few months to smooth it over through their bi-weekly get togethers. She liked to think Itachi and Kimimaro were beginning to get along but at the same time Sasuke had begun holding a childish grudge, she could only hope he grew out of it. "At least he and Naru-chan are getting along. Though I think Naruto's a bit too loud for Kimimaro." Miyu turned, asking her silver haired neighbour for his opinion.

"They do make an odd pair," Kakashi commented, "Maybe the Hyuga would be a good place for him to make friends?"

"Oh, I've introduced Kimi to most of the already. Hizashi-sensei generally teases him too much but he and Neji seem to get along well." It seemed both of the quiet prodigies had similar likes and dislikes. "I was thinking of introducing him to Hayate-san soon. Maybe once I drill the basics into him."

"Hayate?" He thought back to the sickly teen he knew one of his Anbu comrades fancied, "I heard he is the last heir of the Gekko sword style. It might be a bit of a hassle to get him to pass down his family's techniques."

"Whether or not he chooses to teach Kimimaro his techniques is up to him. I'm really just asking for his advice on how to proceed. He owes me a couple favours anyway." She smirked lightly. It would be amazing if Hayate could refrain from teaching her student. After all, once you see the sheer talent the boy had for swordsmanship, it stirred something inside you that compelled you to help the boy in any way possible.

**3 years later – A small bar in Konohagakure, south district...**

"Fugaku don't you think you should take it easy?" Minato asked as he watched the usually stoic Uchiha head down another cup of sake.

"Hn." It shouldn't have been possible to slur to such a short phrase but Fugaku managed it, sending the Namikaze a weak glare.

"So, what's got you so..." Minato merely indicated at Fugaku's appearance, while sipping at his own drink. His friend had been stressed lately, mostly due to his clan.

"I don't know what to do anymore Minato," The Uchiha admitted, his loosened tongue reverting to a more familial term of address, "And I fear, because I have kept it to myself for too long, that it is too late."

"What's wrong?" The blonde prompted, it seemed rather serious if it led to a round of binge drinking.

"The elders, they won't settle down," Fugaku began, "At first they only pressed for little things, mostly not wanting to lose out to the Hyuga, but it has only escalated and now they have gone too far." He paused, staring intensely into his cup, "Just the other day I walked into a meeting they had held without me, who knows how long that's been going on for, and you know what they were scheming?"

"?" Minato could see it was a hard topic for his friend to speak about, judging by the pallor of his skin and the way he swallowed tensely.

"...a coup d'état," the Hokage felt his breath catch in surprise, surely his citizen's weren't that upset over his rule that they would usurp him, "Don't look like that, Minato, It's not your fault. Never. Instead I feel like someone else has been meddling with my clan. This isn't something an Uchiha, my Uchihas, would have first thought of."

"But," The blonde struggled to find his words, "A coup, really? Is there no way to stop them?" Fugaku slowly shook his heads.

"They are set in their ways, and have already began making plans," He clutched his cup hard enough that his knuckles began to whiten, "Do you know how happy I was when Itachi entered Anbu? If only so he could begin distancing himself from the clan. Even Miyu..." He trailed off and Minato felt his stomach drop.

"Miyu? What's wrong?" the blond questioned.

"They're planning to use her," Fugaku informed, "Once the coup is over and done, once they have an Uchiha as Hokage, they're planning to marry her off to the Kazekage's eldest son for political benefits. That or whichever country has the most to offer when the time comes."

"Marry her off?" Minato was slightly appalled; there was a reason why Konoha abolished most betrothals. He'd like to think his younger niece would marry someone she loved within this village, possibly a certain former student of his.

"Really they just want her out of the village," the Uchiha head explained, "She's powerful, very much so, with relations to a lot of other powerful ninja, notorious ones like yourself.

She would be a hindrance to 'our' plan." Fugaku winced as he spoke. He wanted so much, at the moment, to be able to claim no relation to the Uchiha clan. How far had they fallen while his head had been turned? He slammed down another drink, having long lost count of the amount of cups. "Minato," He began once more, "What can I do?"

Kurama sat still, completely silent as his partner took in the information he had collected. He took a peek out the window, looking at the moonless night. So, he said after a moment, **''What will you do?''**

"I don't know," Miyu admitted, making sure to keep her voice quiet to avoid waking her sleeping student. Kimimaro was a light sleeper, something she definitely hadn't been at his age, though she supposed it was good considering his future profession.

**''That man, the one who took the name of Madara, is likely the instigator here,''** the fox deduced, **''and chances are, that once Danzo finds out, the Uchiha Massacre is set to repeat itself.''**

"But it's preventable now," Miyu said with a sense of certainty, "Minato is aware, Fugaku is aware and against it, and Itachi knows better than to believe Danzo." She smirked lightly. She'd like to think she had told her younger brother enough dubious information about the old war hawk to cause instant distrust and wariness.

**''Hmph.''** Kurama gave her an amused look. He had always found enjoyment from the underhanded tactics she used to sow seeds of distrust of the more questionable characters among the younger generation.

"And to think the elders wanted to marry me off?" Miyu scoffed lightly, "To who? Kankuro? Maybe they'd go as far as to sacrifice me to Iwa for a measly alliance." She had a rather strong dislike for the Uchiha elders, especially seeing how segregated they were from the clan itself. She hated the idea that they, almost as equally as Fugaku, led the clan. In that sense, the Uchiha and Hyuga were very much alike.

**''If they tried to send you off, you would only disappear from their sight.''** Kurama mumbled knowingly.

"It seems like they're also forgetting how much of an influence Minato has on Konoha," The blonde continued, "If they were to usurp him, more than half of the village would turn on them. The civilians may be easy to fool with propaganda but the shinobi, those that have fought with him, those who know him, would not believe a single lie. And this is all ignoring Kushina, who has as much of an impact as one could imagine."

**''So, they are doomed for failure, yet too blind to see it.'' **The fox let out a small chuckle. **''They could all use another set of eyes.''**

"This is exactly what makes this whole thing ludicrous. How exactly, did that Madara impostor convince them it was all possible?"

**2 months later – Western district of Konohagakure**

"Konichiwa, Kimimaro-kun," A friendly voice called, "Is Miyu in right now?"

"Ohayo Iruka-san," the boy paused his practise strokes and stood up a little straighter, "She's currently inside discussing something with Hokage-sama."

"Really? That makes things a bit more convenient," Iruka ruffled the boys hair as he passed, stepping into the cosy building. He followed the quiet murmurs, letting the voices lead him into Miyu's living room.

"Iruka," Miyu stood and greeted him with a warm hug, she felt like she hadn't seen the brunette in ages due to all the out of village missions he had been on, "How are you?"

"I'm doing well," The brunet responded with an easy smile, "It looks like the same goes for you." It seemed he had hit his second growth spurt as Miyu had to crane her head up more than usual. Other than that, the 17 year old jounin was practically glowing with health. The blonde nodded in satisfaction, the Iruka from her time had been a good catch, but this one would definitely have women pining for him.

"Miyu?" Minato, called her out of her absent minded state and she walked back to the couches, dropping back down in her original seat, beside a certain silver haired ninja.

"Right," Miyu cleared her throat, and Kurama made his way to her lap, curling up much like a feline, "So Iruka did you do what I asked?"

"Hai." Iruka took a seat in a simple arm chair, leaning forward as he spoke, "I had a few of my summons stationed around the Uchiha compound and I've just received my first batch of reports."

"Really?" Kakashi asked in interest, "Did they find anything unusual, or notice any strangers in the area." Iruka raised a brow, slightly distracted by the sight of him and Miyu. Did they notice how close they were sitting next to one another?

"Yes," The jounin responded slowly, "It seems once a month, usually on nights of a full moon, the elders will hold a meeting, one that doesn't include Fugaku-san." He paused as he rummages through his pockets pulling out a simple scroll. "As usual I had Hakutou record most of the content from the meetings," He informed, handing it over to the Hokage first, "But more importantly, recently they say a non-Uchiha has been handing around the compound and participating in the meetings."

"Do you have a description of him?" Minato asked as he scanned the contents of the scroll, most of which Fugaku had already guessed might happen.

"No distinguishing features," Iruka described, "Aside from the fact he always appears in a dark cloak, and has an odd mask of some sort."

"Mask?" the Hokage couldn't help but think back to the night Konoha had almost been destroyed.

"This whole mess is doing my head in." Miyu growled in frustration. Kurama yipped in laughter. The fox hadn't a care in the world, in fact; he had never been fond of the Uchiha.

"You're not the only one." Kakashi intoned blandly beside her. Besides him, all her other guests had left. Even Kimimaro had left for his weekly training session with Hayate.

"Would you like more tea?" The blonde asked with a sigh, indicating to his empty cup.

"If you wouldn't mind." The silver haired ninja did enjoy the tea here, even though it wasn't particularly special. He simply put it down as good company.

"Here." Miyu returned from the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea, gently putting it on the table in front of her neighbour before slumping down on the sofa. "I wonder if there is any way to stop them." She queried aloud.

"The elders? No," Kakashi answered bluntly, "But this doesn't mean the whole clan must be dealt with."

"A small blessing." Miyu commented. Though, she did suppose whatever outcome that may arise from here would most likely be better than the original. After all, Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi and Sasuke would no doubt live. In fact, this time Itachi shouldn't have to wash the blood of his kin off his hands.

"What are you thinking about?" Kakashi asked curiously. He was getting that odd sense of melancholy he always seemed to get whenever the girl was lost within her own thoughts.

"Nothing much." He, as always, expected that answer, but was happy to allow her her secrets. "And you? Will you be spending the rest of your day off lounging on my couch."

"You know what," Kakashi said, taking a long sip of his tea, "I think I will." To further prove his point he put his feet up on the small coffee table, much to its owner's aggravation.

It was endless amusement for him, to see what type of reactions he could get from the younger kunoichi. Of course, at first glance she was stoic, impassive and overly serious as he had once been, but just a few small actions or a couple of harmless phrases and she became more of what he thought was her true self. Loud, brash, stubborn, cheeky and with an anger to match his sensei's wife.

"So how's Nori-chan?" Miyu asked, bringing him back into a conversation.

"She's been well," Kakashi replied with a small smile, "Sensei kept telling me how just the other day she took her first steps." The image of the giddy blond male was deeply engraved in his mind along with every fact he would ever need to know about his newest kin.

"Really? I hope she isn't the type to be up and about like Naruto was," Miyu thought Kushina needed a break and a second active child wouldn't help her stress levels, "She seems a little more quite than I expected."

"Must take after her father," Kakashi said absently, "I heard Minato was quite shy during his academy days."

"Saa," Miyu dragged out a sigh and sloughed on the armrest of the couch he had pretty much taken over. Kakashi shuffled over accordingly and the blonde made a lazy roll into the now unoccupied space.

"Where has your mind gone now?" Kakashi asked with a small smile. He liked this side of her, how her thoughts were perfectly hidden away, how she teased his curiosity.

"The future," She answered with a wistful smile, "One where Konoha is thriving, and there are no longer any power struggles. Where the silly rivalry between the Uchiha and Hyuga is nothing more than that and Konohagakure becomes a nation built upon trust. I can only hope that Itachi and Sasuke grow up well and break out of their stubborn Uchiha ways and Iruka finds a nice strong woman. I want Minato to die of old age, once Konoha becomes exactly as he envisioned and he goes down being the greatest Hokage we've ever had. Kushina too, I hope she stays the same proud woman, and all the younger kunoichi learn to follow her example. I hope Kimi stays healthy, and Naru grows up strong and ambitious. Nori, I don't know what she'll be, but I hope she becomes the best at it."

"And me?" Kakashi asked partway through her vision, "Where am I in this future of yours?"

"You're a lazy jounin, with a high bounty in the bingo book," She laughed lightly and he was somewhat entranced, "You also happen to be Naruto and Sasuke's genin sensei, though you don't act much like it...and your always ready that orange book of Jiraiya's."

"Maa, is that how I seem to you?" He was a little surprised at such a precise imagination, and more so that she had discovered one of his dirty secrets. He was sure he had never read Icha Icha besides in the comfort and security of his own room. "So where do you plan to be in a few more years?"

"Hm..." She shared a look with her fox before giving a small shrug, "I don't know? Maybe I'll have already died by then."

"Eh?" Kakashi couldn't help but be surprised by her morbid tone, "Come on, you couldn't have made-up such a happy future without including yourself?" Even he could see it, a golden haired kunoichi, with swords tied to her waist, preferably standing by his side. Oh yes, he very much like that image, in ways that seemed odd to him.

"It's just easy to imagine everyone else." Miyu commented. Of course, the 'Naruto' in her 'visions' had been herself, but now that her a second Naruto had come to exist, she couldn't imagine where that consequence left her.

"Saa, how about this," the masked ninja adopted an odd tone that was vaguely familiar to her, though she struggled to place it, "In five years' time, this Uchiha mess will be far behind us, and I will happily become Sasuke's and Naruto's sensei, and you will have your own team as well. It will include your apprentice Kimimaro an odd foreign ninja and another weird kid. During the chuunin exams your odd team will go against my perfect team and of course, mine, being the more superior will win."

"I highly doubt that," Miyu commented slightly irritated, "That fact you think any team lead by you could beat mine? Get real. Kimimaro could easily clean up any chuunin in a few years' time."

"So what have we come up with?" The white haired hermit stood awkwardly in the Hokage's office with the man himself and the Uchiha head. He had been called back for an apparent emergency but he would've never imagined something like this.

"I have already tried all I can to change their mind but they will not be swayed." Fugaku sighed sadly. It seemed he lacked little to know authority over the elder faction.

"Okay so Plan A is failing, what's B?" Jiraiya pressed, he would have never imagined something as disconcerting as a coup under Minato's guidance.

"Plan B," He blond haired student looked far too tired an old for his age, an occupational hazard of course, "Our only other option would be the removal of those involved."

"Removal...I see," The sage caught on quickly, having already considered the possibilities, "Who would be in charge of this? Anbu?" Fugaku slowly shook his head, his eyes hard and determined.

"This is our mess," He began, "My clan will deal with this."

"So your suggesting to have kin kill one another?" Jiraiya stated incredulously, his gaze flicking between the Hokage and his close friend. It was far too obvious that Minato and Fugaku had argued about the matter one too many times, with the latter emerging as the battle worn victor. "Have you already selected who will have to..." he trailed off uncomfortably.

"Yes," Fugaku sent him a grim look, "As the head of the Uchiha family I will be in charge of the disposal squad. Aside from that it was decided the less people involved the better so there will only be one other going with me."

"And who is that?" the hermit pressed, noticing how Minato refused to meet his eyes.

"My oldest daughter Miyu."

**A/N Thanks for reading yet again, and thank you for your patience**

**So a small recap of this chapter;**

**Kimimaro is growing awesomely with both Miyu and Hayate as his teacher.**

**Fugaku and Minato are "surprisingly" close, which I personally think is awesome.**

**We get another glimpse of Iruka and more Kakashi/Miyu interactions (cause i can't really call them moments)**

**And it ends with Jiraiya coming back to the village for a striking (?) revelation.**

**Oh, and there was the mention of Nori, or should I say Namikaze-Uzumaki Noriko hahaha Minato's first daughter :D It's kinda a random addition but I've already figured out how to tie her in nicely to the fic.**

**I also forgot to add that by this point in time Miyu is 15 (because i know how incredibly hard it is to keep up with ages when i'm jumping around). And for further reference**

**Kakashi is around 19-21 (I'm way to tired to math so there's an approximate)**

**See you guys next time, my lovely readers~**


	25. To be an Uchiha

**1 year later – A small apartment in Konohagakure...**

"Miyu!" The blonde wasn't even fazed as her neighbour barged into her house, absolutely furious for lack of a better word. Even Kimimaro was shocked to see the usually impassive silver haired shinobi practically fuming.

"Kimi, would you mind sending this to Iruka?" She tossed the boy a scroll and ushered him out of the house, "Take Kurama with you as well." She gave the fox a brief nod, watching with satisfaction as the furry canine led her apprentice out of the building the traditional ninja way, through the window.

"How could you not tell me?" Kakashi burst out, his first words conveying an odd amount of hurt. Miyu merely sent him a blank look which hit him harder that he thought it would.

"Minato told me the information was to be kept confidential and anyone who should know would be informed." She replied blandly. Honestly speaking, she was quite confused. She could understand him being annoyed at not being fully updated, but his anger seemed misplaced in her mind. The Kakashi from her memories had very rarely been as mad as this one. Maybe it was because he was older and more experienced with his own emotions? That being said, the cause of this sudden intrusion was something she could only guess at.

"But you...!" he growled out a sign of frustration, falling into the uncomfortable feeling of helplessness, "Why did sensei chose only you instead of a whole Anbu squad? It's..." the words wouldn't come, lodge in his throat.

"Fugaku took matters into his own hands," She said dully with a strained smile, "It is the Uchiha who have caused the mess and thus it should be the Uchiha who should clean up."

"That's just..."

"It is what it is," The blonde said, "No matter what it seems like blood will be spilt so why are you worried about who's in charge of it." She was too detached, Kakashi noticed with a grimace. With a sudden realisation it had hit him that she had probably forced herself to be.

"That's why I'm asking why it had to be you. To spill the blood of your family...You're only sixteen. I understand Fugaku but why isn't the rest of the older generation taking part."

He couldn't wrap his head around the controversial topic. In reality he would have preferred if Minato had just ordered his squad to do the removal, they were definitely capable enough.

"Listen to yourself Kakashi," Miyu replied with a mirroring frown, "I'm not 'only sixteen', I'm already sixteen and you know too well that I'm not an innocent little girl. I'm a kunoichi, a jounin, and I've had my fair share of blood and death."

"..." He remained silent, listening while he tried to decipher his own thoughts.

"The reason why the older generation isn't taking part is because they would be forced to kill their loved ones. Their fathers, uncles, mothers, the elders' no matter what they have been scheming had lovingly raised a large part of the Uchiha in the past," She explained slowly, "Fugaku is determined an Uchiha should be the one to fix this, and besides himself I am the perfect candidate."

"How so?" Kakashi challenged falteringly.

"I am an outsider," Miyu stated with finality, "I wasn't born in the clan but placed there. No matter what the blood tests might say there are many who doubt if I possess any Uchiha blood at all, thinking I might have just stolen a pair of eyes from one of their corpses. I have no significant ties to anyone but Fugaku, Mikoto, Sasuke and Itachi, meaning I could efficiently kill any other Uchiha more easily than others of my clan. If it was up to me, Fugaku wouldn't be participating at all." As she said the words it seemed to work out too perfectly in Kakashi's mind. Did she mean to tell him she had never made any other bonds in the eight or so years she had lived with the clan?

"That still doesn't make this right." Kakashi didn't know what else to say after her argument had been almost flawless. Rationally she was correct, and rationality was all a good shinobi needed, making morals a second priority. Right now it was the same mindset as his younger, more spiteful self, and it made his chest hurt all the more.

"This isn't about being right or wrong," Her eyes held depths he couldn't comprehend with his current state of mind so he was forced to turn away, "It's for the sake of Konoha."

Kimimaro sat transfixed as he watched his saviour train. With captivating grace she swung her sword downwards in an arc, feet turning as she transferred the momentum from her waist down to her arm. In a quick flawless moment she twisted her wrist, drawing the blade inwards before thrusting out again with enough force to make the wind tremble.

In contrast with the striking beauty of Hayate's deadly blade Miyu's style seemed more cunning, one that would take your life before you even noticed you were cut. He watched her exhale and relax, returning the odd reverse blade to its sheath. There was definitely something troubling her.

"Kimi do you mind doing me a favour?" The blonde called as she walked over to him, ruffling his white hair.

"Hai?" His eyes squinted slightly and Miyu couldn't help but imagine him as a cat. It was adorable.

"I'm going to be away from the apartment for the next week or so," She informed, "So instead of leaving you here alone, I've arranged for you to stay with Iruka."

"Are you going somewhere Sensei?" He asked with uncertainty.

"No," She gave him a soft, reassuring smile, "I'll be in the village but I'll be preparing for a mission so I won't have a lot of free time. I probably won't be coming back to the apartment for a while and stay at the compound."

"I see," Her student looked down, fiddling with the edge of his sleeve, "Is it a dangerous mission?"

"Of course," Miyu replied frankly, "But if you don't believe I'm strong enough to handle myself then you're seriously mistaken."

"Ah..." He quickly raised his hands defensively, "O-of course not."

"Good boy." She ruffled his hair once more with a toothy smile, "I'll asked Iruka to teach you a little about seals, so make sure to study hard."

"Hai."

**''He is avoiding you.''** Miyu grunted in acknowledgement, knowing personally how true that statement was.

"You think I haven't noticed?" The blonde, swung around, lifting her legs and resting them on the ornate desk.

**''Are you feeling lonely? Though I can change my form, I doubt you would find little comfort in embracing anyone other than your beloved.''** The fox snickered in her mind, stealthily keeping himself hidden in the shadows. **''Feel free to take a peek.''**

"A peek?" She scoffed and shuffled through more of the papers that were lying around. Some documented the activities within Konoha while the rest concerned reports of other villages. Either way, she didn't have the heart to see them as anything more than black scribbles on parchment.

**''Just a glimpse,''** Kurama tempted. His red eyes watched his chosen target, as he spoke with his partner through the link they shared.

"Fine." She conceded rather easily, knowing the fox was trying to do her a favour, and slowly closed her eyes. She searched deeply, for the remnants of his chakra within the seal, and traced it. Her senses faded slightly before merging with the demons. She felt the hardness of the ground beneath his paws, and the soft wind that blew across his fur, but more importantly she was granted his vision. It seemed the fox was currently perched on and empty crate within a narrow alley, already facing a certain silver haired ninja.

Unfortunately, Miyu also recognized the area as having a rather well known bar among the older shinobi.

**''It seems he is learning how to drink away his problems.''** The fox spoke, his voice clearer than usual. Miyu almost wanted to slap the young ninja. He should be more alert and aware of his surroundings, even within his own village. Like this he hadn't even noticed he'd been tailed.

"That fool..."

"Fool?" A new voice questioned, jolting the girl out of her trance.

"Gah!?" She made a small shout of surprise as she just managed to catch herself, before glaring at the offender.

"Sorry?" Minato was surprised, slightly taken aback by the flash of red in the blue eyes, "But you shouldn't have been sleeping at my desk in the first place." He assumed.

"Then you shouldn't have been late." The girl emphasised with a pout, moving out of his usual seat. It seemed Minato was completely fine with allowing her to read some of the more official and confidential papers.

"Hey don't blame me, it was Shikaku's fault," He sighed and slipped into his seat, skimming over a few of the pages splayed on his desk "Anyway, it seems like we're finally smoothing out the Kumo situation, about time too."

"Sending their ninjas back alive was a smart move," Miyu answered, "No matter what some of the council members say. Though there are still some people that think the Raikage is using his own soldiers as mere scapegoats."

"He's a forward guy," Minato chuckled, "Not one who would resort to stealing a bloodline to assure his victory. I'm sure he would rather fight it out with his own fists."

"And you know this from the one time you battled him during the last war?" Miyu asked with a tiny smile.

"Real men speak with their fists." He gave her a slightly pitying look, as if he felt sorry she would never experience a man-to-man talk.

"Yeah, yeah, get that look off your face, before I show you what my fists are saying." He was quick to respond, quickly changing back to his usual look.

"So," Minato let out a small cough, trying to look his most professional, "What was it you wanted to speak about?" Miyu instantly straightened up, her serious putting the man on alert.

"I have a request, Minato."

"The moon is bright." Fugaku acknowledged with a tired voice. In his hands was a simple Anbu mask, yet it felt heavier than a boulder.

"Yeah, it's full tonight," Miyu glanced up, her own disguise already in place, "Have you already isolated the targets." They were months ahead of schedule. Idly she wondered if it would still go down in history as the Uchiha Massacre.

"Thankfully, with the information from Iruka it seems like those directly involved in the coup will be in the main meeting hall. Everyone else, will be gathered in a small branch building on the outskirts of the village," Fugaku pointed over to the south-western section of the compound, "Mikoto will keep them there until we're done."

"Those involved..." Miyu could only be happy that their early intervention meant less of the Uchiha had been influenced by the elders, and ultimately the Madara impostor.

"Are you ready?" The Uchiha head held out the white mask.

"Yes." She took the mask, slipping it onto her face and feeling the familiar weight.

"Fugaku!" The first one to notice them was predictably the elder seated across from the doorway, "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed free access in my own home?" Fugaku retorted his voice serious as he surveyed the room. Amongst the dozen or so elders was about twice as many other clansmen, their ages ranging from 18-40.

"You know what Sousuke meant, Fugaku," Their apparent leader said, trying to ease any suspicions, "It is unusual to see you in the meeting hall at this time."

"And yet, I know for a fact, the same cannot be said about the elders," Fugaku's voice was grave and the aura he had made Miyu wonder how his command could ever be questioned, "Let me get to the point as this is the first and only time I will ask. Stop your foolishness."

"What are you on about?" one of the younger offenders asked, his calmness fading.

"The coup," It was almost amusing to see them flinch, "Your plan is flawed. Our Hokage has already known about your plans for quite some time and as you head I'm disappointed."

"Disappointed?" The main elder scoffed as he regained some of his lost composure, "We are the ones who are disappointed in you, Fugaku."

"He's right," Sousuke had the gall to look ashamed despite their current situation, "Fugaku, you were chosen as the Uchiha head because you were the most fitting to lead us to greatness. Yet look at where the clan has fallen."

"Fallen?" Fugaku echoed, trying to understand. He knew when he became head he was supposed to better his clan and that was exactly what he had done...wasn't it?

"What are you unsatisfied with?" Miyu cut in, her voice a tone lower and ultimately unrecognizable, "The Uchiha clan is one of the major clans behind Konoha and is treated as such. The civilians practically worship the ground you work on, and the shinobi of this village respect you-"

"Namikaze Miyu, is it?" A stranger interrupted piercingly, making emphasis on leaving the Uchiha out of her name, as if stating his point. He managed to put her on high alert, she should have been unrecognizable, but already too early on in their plan she had been singled out.

"Ah, it seems like you managed to find me." There was no point in continuing the charade, so she pushed her mask aside, letting the layers of genjutsu fall with it. Her stature shrunk, and her inky black hair faded into gold. The only thing that remained was the red of her eyes that mirrored the accuser's.

**''It seems his skills lie through seeing through deception,''** Kurama commented, sneaking a peek through her vision, **''surprising considering that is the base of the Sharingan.'' **Miyu didn't deny it, she hadn't thought about getting through the mission undetected, it was merely to make Fugaku a bit happier about the situation. **''Still, he looks familiar...''**

"What was the point of the disguise, child?" A patronizing elder questioned, his voice full of venom.

"I requested it of her," Fugaku answered, unhappy that they seemed to be turning on her, "After all, I am the one who should be burdened by hatred at the end of this."

"That's very honourable of you, Fugaku," a more quiet member intoned, "But what are you thinking would garner such anger?"

"I am to put a stop to this foolishness," Their head proclaimed assertively, "To protect the village and the remaining pride of our clan, I cannot allow the coup to go through."

"It is not about what you allow, nor are your actions going to protect anything," Another nameless, faceless elder retorted, "In fact, we have already begun." Miyu caught a glimpse of an odd red haze that flashed passed the speakers eyes. They all seemed to truly believe they were doing the best thing possible, ignoring all other facts.

"And I am saying once again, the Hokage knows," Fugaku repeated, "Have you all gone too senile to realize what this means for you and your plans?"

"What?" One of the younger members all but hissed, "The plans are perfect, we would have Namikaze out of his seat before he even realized."

"How?" Miyu asked, her voice silencing them all, "With your silly bribes towards the ninja council? Or maybe your attempts at hypnotizing those you thought were your comrades?"

They we're taken aback, surely their slow persuasion would have done something for their cause?" "Minato is a great leader, and that is a fact. For you to think, his own subordinates would forsake him, for one of you...the idea is beyond ridiculous. Not even Danzo was willing to cooperate."

"The war hawk, accepted our gifts graciously." The same man continued.

"I too, would also accept gifts if they were freely given." She couldn't begin to think how someone had convinced them such a petty, story book plan would work. Even Danzo, as much as he previously had wanted the eyes, wanted nothing to do with the matter.

"If that's the case we'll usurp him through force." The same Uchiha that had uncovered her disguise voiced his opinion, and oddly enough, even the more sensible elders seemed to take to his suggestion.

"Of course, that weak kind of Hokage, couldn't hope to take our forces."

"Do not mistake his kindness for weakness," Fugaku warned, threateningly, "It is only through my plead that he didn't send the whole Anbu corps here to raid our homes."

"Good, Fugaku, there's hope for you yet," It seemed all the elders had similar, condescending personalities, "You've done something useful for our cause."

"If only you could see the doom you will cause yourself," He truly felt sorry for them and as their leader, he felt himself wanting to resign. As his final act though, whoever had done this to his clan would pay.

"Miyu, what have you done?" The building was aflame, the walls painted red as blood splattered and pooled on the floor. His head pounded as Fugaku tried to understand what was happening, all the while watching his surrogate daughter perform her deadly dance. Her eyes glowed red, showing the fabled Mangekyo Sharingan his clan had forever sought. Ironically, it was the same set of eyes that was their demise.

"Fugaku, you..." A weak hand grasped at the bottom of his robes, and he looked down to see a familiar elder, "You brought this monster into our clan?" his hand drop and he collapsed, the slash wound on his back bleeding profusely. She glanced over, looking right passed him as she threw a kunai his direction. It was off, flying past his face as it thudded into someone behind him. Fugaku didn't care to see who she had killed. The bodies that lay piled around were unmoving, all of them. He told himself they hadn't suffered, most of them dying via severed necks. Yet a few, like Uchiha Sousuke, had died a bit more violently.

"...Miyu." He could do nothing but watch as she battled the last traitor in the room, her blonde hair dyed with the blood of his kin. They were almost evenly matched, but the blonde was winning, pushing the other back. She slashed her kunai forward, before bring her leg to kick out in the direction the man had dodged. It hit with a heavy thud, and Fugaku could almost hear the cracking of bones.

"Get up trash!" She growled out furiously. What she got in response was a cutting, maniacal laughter.

"Oh, this is unexpected." The man she had kicked got up easily. Despite being injured he held himself as if he had taken no damage at all. "You, who are you?"

"I am the one who will defeat you," She retorted, "Now tell me where you are hiding Madara!" Fugaku was lost. What did his great ancestor have to do with all this, and why did he feel so unsettled?

"I would not be so foolish." The young Uchiha, through glazed red eyes, surveyed the room. He frowned in disappointment, everything was a mess. "You are not an Uchiha, I know that for a fact, yet why do you have those eyes?" She was undeserving and he wanted nothing more than to tear them out of their sockets.

"..." Miyu remained silent. She didn't want to give anything to the man, the less he knew the better.

"Everything's gone wrong..." he muttered to himself, "The fox failed, Namikaze is still alive, and now the coup is nothing but a slaughter of my own. Everything is because of you."

He brought a hand to his face covering his eyes with a loud sigh. "Must everyone be so useless?"

"Useless?" Miyu was irritated by the statement. He had the gall to say such things about the people he had led to their demise?

"Yes. In the end if I want something done I will have to do it personally." Ironically, she knew he would manipulate many more people to reach his goals. "Oh well, I guess it wasn't for nought." The chilling smile he gave froze her to the spot. What else had he done? What had she missed? "Konoha village will crumble, and I will attend to it personally.

Enjoy your days of peace while they last." Miyu half-heartedly threw a kunai at his face, only to watch the body disappear in a flock of crows. Without knowing his location, there was no point in trying to catch the clansman he had enslaved. Instead, she would use him as a means of tracking Madara.

"Miyu, what is the meaning of this?" Fugaku stood slowly, his clothes stained with the pooling blood of his clan, "Explain to me why I was knocked out, and why Madara is apparently the cause of everything."

"I'm sorry Fugaku." Miyu began, cleaning and sheathing her blade. Funnily enough Masamune had refused to budge from its case so she had relied on her more familiar blade.

The sentient sword had deemed the clan too 'innocent' to be slain, a fat that stirred up her heart. "There is a lot I have kept hidden from both you and Minato. Let us tie up this matter first before I share my knowledge." Her eyes reverted, the usual blue reappearing. Blue-eyed, blonde hair dyed red, compared to her disguise, she looked nothing like an Uchiha.

"Traitor!" The woman that screamed this at her collapsed, crying into her hands while other scornful members comforted her. Miyu would have preferred if they had just physically attacked her rather than take this emotional route. She had expected it though.

"Fugaku, did you spare no one?" A young man asked, his eyes pleading to know his father was safe.

"None." Miyu replied in his stead, her face impassive and unmoving.

"You, you..." He struggled to find words and screamed in despair and frustration, most of the clan quickly mirroring his response as they came to face reality. Those eyes, full of tears, hatred and despair turned on her, the one drenched in the blood of their loved ones.

"...Demon! How could you?" Similar shouts berated her from those who were overcome with anger. The callers flinched when she looked in their direction, but she could not look everywhere at one and before long the small, crowded building was overcome with the noise of their feelings. Even the children, the ones that had eagerly smiled at her, now eyed her with fear. She dare not look for those familiar faces she knew best. That would only destroy the resolve she had painstakingly built up.

"Fugaku," The blonde began, her voice cutting over every other, "Explain the situation to them. I need to report to Minato and it would be better I left." She abruptly turned to leave, walking out of the building and ignoring the glares. Fugaku would have admired her resilience had it been any other situation. As her figure entered the night he caught a glimpse of a canine figure jumping down to join her. It looked back and stared at his clan with red eyes full of hatred and instantly, the Uchiha head understood why.

"Is it over?" The Hokage asked when the girl entered. Just looking at her made him weary and he hurriedly offered her a seat.

"No thank you, I won't be here long anyway," She declined politely, "The coup has been avoided, and Fugaku is back at the compound explaining the situation."

"And how are you feeling?" She just gave him a quizzical look that concerned him more than a sad one would have.

"Fine, a bit tired but other than that I didn't sustain any injuries or lasting damage." Honestly speaking, she was regretful that she had killed so many of her kin, but it was to prevent the massacre. She was convinced it was for the better, at least Itachi and Sasuke would grow up as they should have. "I sent Kurama over to clear the apartment, is everything set up?"

"Yes," her Hokage gave her a small smile, there was little else he could do, "I've cleared away some land across the river by Konoha memorial. It's out of the way and within the tree's by the main wall."

"Thank you very much." She couldn't trust herself to enter self-exile like Itachi, not with everything she wanted to protect right here. Instead she would simply seclude herself. To the common population of Konoha, Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki Miyu would disappear. As if to remind her, she felt her shoulder burn from its recent branding. "Did you get me a mask?" She asked curiously, wondering what animal she would be assigned. It was a rarely known fact that Konoha had a limited number of masks to limit the amount of Anbu at a time. Usually it was simply newer members taking the place of their predecessors who then when on to become teachers or simple jounin. It also stopped the village from running out of animals.

"Here, I think you'll like it," He tossed her a simple white mask, with a slightly pointed snout and two straight ears. The red, decorative paint lined the eyes and mouth as well as adding three whiskers to each cheek. "I think Kushina's the only other to have shared the animal."

"How cliché," She gave a slight laugh, holding the fox mask over her face, "Does it suit me Hokage-sama?" She knew for a fact she wouldn't be getting the dog mask or the cat mask as they were currently in action, but she still hadn't expected to see this one.

"Boar wasn't for you," Minato replied with a shrug, "Now I have one request to make before you leave."

"What is it?" She asked curiously. He looked rather concerned which made her think that there was little choice left in this appeal.

"I couldn't leave you to be by yourself so I assigned someone to stay with you..." He trailed off at the look she gave It was one that made him shrink down into his seat.

"I'm not a child, Minato, and Kimi will be there as well." Did he really assign her a guardian?

"Kimimaro is a good kid and all, but he is still just a child. I want someone there who can keep you safe and offer you relatable company."

"Who is it?" Miyu conceded with a sigh. Of course the blond was too good natured to let her go off on her own. He had her best interests in mind, though she could only wonder who had been tasked with the job.

"Me." It would have been a lie if she said she hadn't been surprised, but the last person she had expected her silver haired neighbour. They hadn't parted on the best terms last time they met, and as Kurama informed he had been well and truly avoiding her.

"Kakashi?" She tilted her head to the side in question.

"You two ought to get going," Minato stated, cutting their reunion short, "I have a feeling Fugaku should be arriving soon and you should get settled in Miyu. Kakashi knows the way so just follow him."

"Hai," They both saluted as they left, Miyu only turning back to send a small inquiry.

"Minato, I would appreciate it if you could get the ninja council together for me sometime soon, after this mess calms down a little. I have some info that could be useful." Once again the girl was a mystery, her way of asking was more of an underlying order that belied the seriousness of her words.

"Of course." The Hokage replied, neatening the papers on his desk.

The silence was almost stifling and yet she caught him glancing at her constantly, as if he was struggling to speak. More than anything it was irritating. "Spit it out Kakashi." Miyu demanded, looking forward as they walked away from the main section of the village.

"Ah," He was caught off guard but took the opportunity, "I would like to apologize." He began, his brow squirming uncomfortably. She found it strange he could still make so many expressions without the use of the lower half of his face. "For being idiotic and losing my temper."

"It's understandable, after all, tonight I did some unreasonable things." She skirted around the topic, not really wanting to begin a whole discussion about spilling the blood of kin.

He looked at her, and for once he truly looked at her, not turning his eyes away from her own.

"What I really meant to say, was that I was worried about you," He continued, not allowing her the chance to interrupt, "I still am. I know you are strong, the tattoo on your shoulder and your white mask proves that, but I am still entitled to my own worries. I couldn't concentrate at all these past few days, instead my mind was wondering to all the bad possibilities. What if you failed and the coup still went, what if Fugaku died, what if you died. The Sharingan is not to be messed with and yet you, took on dozens of them, and came out unscathed. Meanwhile I had envisioned you embedded with kunai."

"That is reassuring." She commented dryly.

"If it was possible even in the slightest, I saw it. And that's why, these past few days I have thought of nothing but you, even if it was your multiple death scenes," He was frank with his words in a way that made her feel that odd, familiar feeling, "And I realised, I don't want that. My teammates died one by one, my father before that. Countless comrades were lost on difficult missions, not to mention the war. And I don't want it anymore. It's so simple. If I don't want those important to me to die then I have to protect them. What I'm saying here is you are important to me. So even if it's only a little, please rely on me more and let me protect you."

"Protect me," She was almost incredulous at the thought, "You may be older than me, but by now we should at least be equal on terms of skill level. Are you saying you will follow me on the S-rank missions I will receive and safeguard me? There are a lot of people important to us both and you can't be everywhere at once. You can't protect everyone at once. But I share your sentiments. What I did today was protect those dear to me, even at the sake of others. This is the extent I will go, can you say the same?"

"I believe I could," Kakashi replied after a moment of thought, "I'm not asking to be everywhere at once, only where I can be of help, of use or simply where I want to stand."

"And if I don't need you?" She questioned, "It's very noble of you but save you shield for those who actually require it."

"I feel like you're hearing my words but not thinking about them," The grey eyed male said with a sigh, "I'm saying that I want to be with you, regardless if you need me." Those words definitely put a thump in her chest. This Kakashi, was so different to her own. She could think about how he was less mature, less experienced, less naïve, but at the same time he was also more open, looking towards the future rather than being trapped in the past. He was different and she understood that she may never see the same Kakashi she had known, and yet they were one and the same. He was earnestly speaking to her now, something she had rarely experienced and thus she wa loss. How was she supposed to react? Even after all the years her feelings had never changed.

"Why must this be so confusing?" She uttered quietly, sometimes she wished she had forgotten it all, "Kakashi, how do I appear to you?"

"Well, you are a beauty, a very strong kunoichi with blood that tied to the village. You came to Konoha as a stranger but now you are an irreplaceable part of the village. You're smart enough to pass most exams with top scores and talented enough to make most jealous. But most of all you are kind." He answered, "And you are someone very important to me."

"Important..." The word held a lot of connotations and she wondered if to him she was 'sensei's missing blood kin' or if she was, to put it simply, a woman. It seemed she wasn't the only one frustrated with the pace of the conversation.

"You're making it much more difficult than it has to be," He explained as if she were an idiot, "Just say 'yes'. Let me stand by your side and guard your back." He stopped his steps and caught her arm, pulling her closer before reaching up with his free hand and pulling down his mask. Miyu had little time to be anything other than surprised as she was caught off guard. He forced their lips together in a show of passion, one that voiced his feelings better than he could have said. The kiss held for a second, and it was chaste, the silver haired ninja giving her lips a cheeky lick before retreating. "Do you get it now?"

**A/N Thank you for reading :)**

**I realised a lot of things here. For one, it's difficult to write a battle scene of what is essentially a massacre dude to the fact Miyu would have easily cut down anyone in her path if but a few brief moments. Sounds overpowered but remember her first sword (zeijaku ha) was made for the art of iaido/iaito (quick drawing).**

**The writing is also a little jumpy, maybe? I apologise but I just wanted to get this out while I had the the chance (its hard for me to find time to type these days)**

**Also, she's not revealing her time-travelling ways when she says "There's stuff i have to tell you guys." I literally meant she'd be sharing some more important info that they otherwise wouldn't have gotten.**

**I also feel like I'm entitled to make up facts in my fanfiction ie. the Konoha Anbu system. (Please don't hurt me...)**

**Also romance...I smashed their faces together.**

**Next chapter is a dedication to the dense idiot I made Kakashi, his feelings and his view points over the years. After that we go towards genin days**

**I just. I dunno guys, I just wanted to post a chapter after so long (O_O')**


	26. The reminiscing of Hatake Kakashi

When he first saw her, she was only a young girl, tattered and bathed in blood. To his surprise, despite her appalling condition she was alive, she had held on to that thin tether that kept her heart beating. His team had simply handed her off to the hospital and that was that. Intriguingly what should have taken months to heal occurred overnight. It was a saddeningly suitable bloodline for a ninja. Why so? Because even if she healed faster, it didn't eliminate the pain of being injured. A quicker recovery equalled to more dangerous missions which meant more life-threatening damage. She could be beaten to half-to-death several times over and yet her body would heal. A blessing and a curse when looked at from different perspectives.

She cleaned up well, and after the doctors and nurses had finished mending her broken body, she was nothing more than an endearing little girl. She reminded him of his sensei, with the same sunny appearance, but there was more to it than that. She held herself the same way, and that in itself, was odd. After all, how could an eight year old child share the same presence as a twenty something veteran ninja?

Miyu had a lot of secrets, Kakashi had learnt that very early on. He wasn't completely convinced about her amnesiac life but at the same time there was no other option for him to choose. He wondered, if it was merely a forgotten habit that she would consistently reach up to touch the rings on her necklace. Those same rings seemed to fascinate him, never mind the priceless jewel wedge between them, he was more interested in the familiar metallic sheen of the trinkets and the hidden inscription that had long worn away.

She smiled often. It wasn't like the ones Minato made, the wide grins that shared his happiness with those around him, no, it was more like Kushina's. The best word to describe it

would be restrained. It was expression of happiness for sure, but it was one that remembered tragedy. Kushina he could understand, having lost her village it was almost a miracle she was still the cheerful redhead they knew. But what did Miyu grieve for when her memories were supposedly blank?

She was an Uchiha, Namikaze and Uzumaki. Her blood tied to those who founded the village and protected it, making it invaluable and at the same time infamous. Her existence was kept as hidden as possible. With his sensei rising to take the position of Hokage, anyone connected to him would be in danger of being a target. The girl in question chose to reside within the Uchiha. Fugaku and his wife welcomed her much to his relief.

She trained a lot for someone so young. With the war dying out it was a reprieve for most, but she used every bit of her free time training. Whether it was within the Academy, among his team or in her own free time. The blonde practised with unseen shadows, each time she dodged a punch he could clearly see the length of the attacking arm, each time she struck a vital he could see the mysterious form of whoever she was sparing with. Tall, that was the first thing he noticed, it was odd for such a small girl to always be aiming her attacks upwards... He hadn't realized it had become a habit to watch her until her fox of a nin-ken had started sitting beside him, both of their eyes intently watching her flowing form.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, he soon lost many important things. It was impossible to tell if he had cried with the rain that poured down his face but for sure he had lost more things than a friend on that day. He had felt it, as his hands pierced through her chest, the absence that was reflected in his own. There was no time for him to come to terms with it either, no time to grieve properly, as just a couple days after his sensei was seen rushing to Konoha's hospital with a corpse in his arms.

It was image engraved into his arms, the small girl whose company he enjoyed, was unconscious, unmoving in those strong arms...just like when she had first arrived. The smell of blood and burnt flesh assaulted him though he was a distance away, similarly the sound of a stray kunai hitting the floor as it dislodged from her brought him back to his senses. One by one he was losing his closest friends and now it seemed he would lose another. Kakashi had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

She was strong, spending an irritatingly large amount of time with Gai and Hayato, and yet for all her training, she wasn't invincible.

On the birth of the Yondaime's son she had disappeared. The result of that day, upon the frightening appearance of the legendary Nine-tailed fox, was unknown to a majority of Konoha. The only ones who knew the full truth were the Sandaime, Yondaime and Toad Sage. The higher ranked, well-trusted ninja were given a brief, edited version. Both he and Miyu had been among the few that had received the privilege of knowledge, but he was convinced she knew more.

Four years later she was kidnapped along with the Hyuga heiress. It was a small matter and one where both victims came out unscathed, but her hidden existence was now revealed to the world. The rumours had begun about Minato's love-child, and the blue-eyed Uchiha. It wasn't long before she had built up a reputation among the hidden nations.

Everything went by quickly and it became hard to imagine a Konoha without her. He had suspected it was around her comeback from Suna that his...feelings had changed. With his never-ending inflow of missions though, there was little time for him to ponder it. If he left for a couple days he would lose track of routine and find her spending more time with the Yamanaka as opposed to the Nara. When he was gone for weeks she might have newer clothes, and a different hairstyle, courtesy of Itachi's whims. And apparently, when he left for months, she had brought back an apprentice...

Kimimaro he liked. The kid was quiet, and together they could both enjoy watching Miyu train. He had quickly learnt that training was her outlet. Each time something troubled her she would go through complex kata or simply find Gai. He had watched her practised movements day after day and yet he only realized after, when it was far too late to offer his help.

He had never said that one certain phrase but he was sure she understood. For a long time the air between them was thick, and Miyu acted far more distant than he had expected, though living in the same house meant it was impossible to escape each other. He had finally begun to realize how difficult it would be to monopolize her as he wanted; especially since every time she looked at him, she was seeing someone else.

Who? That was his first question, something his jealousy demanded he answer. For one, he knew it could not be anyone in Konoha, or anyone still in the land of the living. No she looked as if she longed after a ghost.

He tried in earnest to prove his affections and he thought his attempts successful. If flowers from Inoichi would make her smile he would continue to give her bouquets. If a sword from a quiet blacksmith in Suna made her eyes light up he would continue to shower her in fine blades. Kakashi knew he would never fully understand her but he was fine with that. Her mystery was something that had intrigued him in the first place.

A month after they moved into their new home Miyu had settled into a rather depressed state. It couldn't have been anything to do with the Uchiha as the only ones she cared returned her feelings. So, without a clue, he had simply asked. Apparently she was fighting with her ninken, something he didn't quite understand. Kurama, was "being mean and unreasonable again" or so she had explained. All he understood was that the fox had changed something in her stagnated emotions.

She came back one day from who knows where, and just looked lighter, as if a heavy boulder had been lifted from her heart. She had promptly taken his hand to pull him closer and returned the favour he had given the day he confessed. She had smiled into the kiss and he had followed, his heart fluttering in anticipation.

On September 15th his birthday rolled around, one he had never particularly celebrated though this year it was different. It was a small gathering held in their isolated house, though most of Konoha's jounin's packed themselves in happily enough. The gifts flooded in along with the questions and he was pressed for answers.

Minato had given him a scroll he had 'borrowed' from the Hokage's forbidden stash, but only after he promised no harm would come to his precious niece-come-daugter. Kushina quickly pulled the overbearing Hokage off him, but not without a warning as she wrapped a knitted scarf tightly around his neck...very tightly.

From Fugaku and Mikoto he received a small gift of a clan scroll and their blessings, though the Uchiha head refused to cease his glaring. Likewise, their sons provided him with a quality blade cleaning set, but not without showing their dislike for the silver haired male as they clung to his blonde for the rest of the night.

Iruka had punched him. And though younger, he certainly packed enough that would leave his shoulder sore. He had also given him a useful set of hand-tagged kunai, one that was not only useful, but showed the amount of effort he had gone through to create them.

It followed the same pattern. Gift, threat, congratulations. An odd set by far, but it was obvious how many truly cared for Miyu. He would've been offended if he didn't understand their feelings and honestly he would've done the same.

His favourite present, had obviously come from his blue-eyed sweetheart. She had given him his father tanto, the same one that had been destroyed years ago. The guard had been removed, the handle changed, but he would recognize the blade's sheen anywhere. Often he had asked for it to be fixed but with so much of the metal missing when it had shattered there was little to be done. Somehow Miyu had repaired it, where she had found the ore for it he didn't know or care, treasuring it all the same.

It was only during the hug that followed he noticed the missing rings on her necklace, the odd gem looking meagre on the thin chain.

**A/N like I said, short sweet and to the point**

**Basically...i just didn't want it to feel to rushed in the next chapters..cause Kakashi and Miyu will be pretttttttttttty close...and its weird if I instantly jumped to it...not that I think this chapter did much to bridge that gap...oh well.**

**Also the whole 'niece-come-daughter' is a technically incorrect (originating from a latin word that I can't use without giggling)...I changed it a bit..**

**As always thanks for reading 3**


	27. The ever-changing team 7

"See him over there, the moody looking kid in the navy shirt," They hadn't even attempted to hide their voices, blatantly acting in a way that was unbefitting of their current occupation, "That's the famous Uchiha outcast...I wonder if he hates his sister like the rest of his clan."

"Watch what you say, Mizuki," Iruka bit out, showing his dislike of the sly chuunin, "Your gossip is unappreciated and I would rather you keep your opinions and thoughts to yourself."

"Che, don't act so high and mighty," the white haired academy teacher showed no respect, he remembered the brunet from their academy days and had honestly never liked him, "You're just a mutt abandoned by his traitor master." Satisfied with the silence he received Mizuki walked away, happy enough that he got the last word.

"Stay calm...1,2,3,4..." Iruka breathed in deeply, he was better than this and should be disappointed someone like Mizuki had been able to rile him up so quickly.

"You okay nii-san?" A nudge by his legs had him looking down at the concerned look from one of the academy geniuses.

"I'm fine Naruto," the burnet replied with a small smile, "Just a little irritated."

"If they annoy you, Mum and Oneechan say to give them a good beating." The little blond recited earnestly, much to Iruka's amusement.

"I doubt Miyu would be happy if I got fired on the last day of my mission though." That was a happy thought. After today his time at the academy would be over and he could be out in the field again.

"Go out with a bang!" Naruto laughed as he ducked his way into the classroom, eager to see his friends, the shiny metal hitai-ate glinting proudly on his forehead.

"Saa, isn't he excited," It seemed Iruka was due in for all sorts of guests, as a familiar voiced stop him at the door.

"Everyone's eager, after all today is their team placements." It had been more than a decade since his own, but he still remembered those feelings quickly clearly.

"Reminiscing Iruka?" There was a soft chuckle that brightened his mood. She was happier these days, even if she only existed in Konoha's shadows, bristling with unknown anticipation.

"A little, what are you doing here anyway?" She was one of the busier Anbu, always out on high leveled missions, something he envied since he had been stuck with a desk job after his recent injury.

"Just observing," He could tell from her voice, that underneath that fox mask was a smile, "Minato says Sarutobi's got some errands for me so I'm waiting for the old man to finish his usual meetings."

"Wouldn't that have been 20 minutes ago?" Iruka questioned as he pulled open the door. Other than the cheerful laughter of his students he could hear her faint chuckling as she made a swift retreat.

Miyu sighed in contentment as a soft melody drifted through the air. It seemed if her student ever chose to lay down his swords, as unlikely as it would be, he could always aspire to be a musician. "They go together well." The old, former Hokage stated as he sipped on the expensive tea.

"Indeed." Miyu agreed, reminding herself to thank Hizashi for the nice treat.

"So, what do you think of my preposition?" Sarutobi comber his fingers through his growing beard. If He could hire someone like Miyu, he had no doubt his wishes would quickly come true.

"You know my rules." She began with a firm tone.

"I do," He folded his hands in his lap, looking to her with conviction, "I'm not asking you to leave Fire country on an all-out search, just keep an eye out for information if you ever get some free time on your missions."

"I owe you a lot, old man," The blonde's expression turned into one of care as her lips curved up, "I can do something as simple as that."

"Thank you." The old man said earnestly, "I've had Jiraiya update me through his networks, and it seems rather than pick at old dead-ends it might be time to turn our focus elsewhere for a while."

"I agree that this village would benefit a lot from her return, in fact it's not healthy to allow her to keep up those bad habits-"

"Oneesan!" The two familiar cries halted their conversation as the sound of light footsteps on wood headed towards them.

"Sensei is with Sarutobi-sama right now," She heard Kimimaro explain to the excited youngsters, "It might be a while so I hope you are prepared to wait."

"No need," The former Hokage called as he stood, pushing open the simple screen door, "We're just about done, I think." He gave Miyu a question look as he ruffled the boys' hair.

He would've never imagined them to become so close considering their contrasting personalities, but it seemed they acted as more than just rivals.

"Yes," Miyu confirmed as she watched them all fondly, "Take care on your way back, old man, I think the council elders are after you."

"It wouldn't be a first." He gave a small chuckle. They would find him when he felt like dealing with their queries and only then. With a final nod of greeting to the returning fox, Sarutobi disappeared in a seamless swirl of leaves.

"Man, I wish they had taught us that at the Academy." Naruto whined, throwing his hands behind his head.

"Maybe if you prove yourself work hard enough your sensei will give you some useful tips," She bent down to give Kurama a fond pat as he silently dropped a scroll in her waiting hand, "And Sasuke, it's useless to ask Itachi or Shisui about it."

"Damn..." The raven haired Uchiha pouted childishly in disappointment, "Oh well." Silently he hoped his sister would be visiting for dinner, but as always he didn't ask. Instead he allowed his friend to control the flow of the light conversation.

"By the way Nee-chan, did you know me and Sasuke got put on the same team? Team 7 as well!" The blond bounced up and down eagerly with a silly grin, "And our team leader is Kakashi-niichan."

"I knew," She admitted slowly, "After all Kakashi hasn't stopped talking about how ecstatic he is to train you two. You'll have to work hard you know. Harder than you would have if you received an unrelated jounin as your sensei."

"It's a shame Hinata-chan isn't with us," Naruto stated with Sasuke nodding in agreement, "But Sakura-chan shouldn't be too bad, right?"

"Remember, genin teams picked carefully," Miyu could only smile at his worries. Sakura, much like in her own time, was still an A+ student...theoretically, and similar to the girl she often reminisced about, she was infatuated with Sasuke. "You dad chose her to balance out the two of you and you'd be wise to trust his judgement."

"Iruka always praises her battle strategies, but when it comes to sparring..." Sasuke trailed off meaningfully, scratching his cheek as he thought about what to say.

"She's lacking?" the older Uchiha filled, causing them both to nod, "She comes from a civilian family, you two should know that much about your classmate. No matter how hard she studies to keep up with the rest of you she has no one to teach her the practical aspect, no one to spar with her. In a class full of clan heirs it's admirable she didn't back down."

"..."

"If you are worried about her ability help her," Miyu advised softly, "After all you are a team now, and she is a fast learner, one willing to work even if she complains about the dirt on her clothes when she gets home."

"We can do that," Naruto said with certainty, "In fact we'll all go have a celebratory lunch after completing the survival test, ne Sasuke?"

"Hn, I guess the quickest way to finding out about her is to simply ask questions," He had also accepted that they would simply past the true genin test, "Ichiraku's?"

"Ah!" Miyu threw her hands up in frustration, falling back on the traditional tatami floor, "I give up, I forfeit, you win...again!" childishly she rolled to the side and towards the exit, only to stop as a pair of feet stood, blocking her path.

"Fox-san, are Anbu even allowed to act like this?" A bored voice asked, too used to seeing the scene.

"Well I was just discharged from my position, so as a jounin I am allowed to act as I want." The blonde replied, rolling back to her starting point and sitting back up. There she had a perfect view of the annoying shogi board and an amused Nara. "Shikaku, I demand you stop requesting my presence now that you have proven you can continuously best me in shogi." She spoke seriously and if anything, that made the situation only funnier for the strategist.

"Denied." He replied, "Shogi with you is a good workout for my mind, even if I do win a lot. It would be a waste to throw away such an enjoyable challenge."

"Do you still have time for another game?" The new arrival asked with a small yawn.

"You two..." She looked to a younger clone of the Nara head as he approached the board, trying to analyse the previous game, "Aren't you tired from the survival test?" She questioned.

"Not really." He shrugged. It was easy to discover the meaning behind that sort of test and if all Asuma-sensei wanted was a show of teamwork, he, Chouji and Ino could show him an abundance.

"Well if you're that eager to beat me then clear the board." The blonde had long resigned to winning once every ten games or so. It wasn't a particularly bad statistic to hold against a Nara if she was to be completely honest, but it still wasn't fun to lose.

"Sure." Shikamaru couldn't hide his eagerness as his father shuffled aside to make room for him. Playing with the elusive Anbu was a treat. In his older memories the sunny blonde that often stopped by their house had vanished after the Uchiha incident, leaving a ghostly trace. It wasn't very hard to connect the two and he understood it was not the shinobi of the village that she sought to hide from. Though, such thoughts always made his wonder about the specifics of the small scale carnage. The fact she was retiring from Anbu was something that he noticed, and he couldn't help but wonder if something would happen soon.

"Welcome, home." Kakashi greeted warmly, meeting his partner at the doorway of their modest house.

"I'm back." Miyu smiled earnestly, leaning in to give him a soft peck on the cheek. She felt a lot more comfortable after all these years. Or rather, she was starting to forget while her emotions continued to grow.

"So, what's the plan?" He turned, walking to the kitchen, a pink apron tied casually around his waist as evidence of dinner-making.

"Minato thinks it's been long enough," the blonde responded, peering over his shoulder at the sizzling pans and simmering pots, "As of today I'm to return as an active jounin."

"And if people recognize you?" Acting as intimate as newlyweds he blew on a spoon, cooling it, and offering her a taste.

"Well four years is a long time, and by now they would have forgotten the specifics of my appearance," She was confident, after all she had kept her presence as low as possible throughout the duration of her plan, "Let's not forget the Sharingan's aptitude for genjutsu. Otherwise I'll just wear a mask like you." She finished with a laugh. It was simple enough to fool people she passed on the streets, effortless even. And it wasn't as if she was hiding from any Shinobi...sans an exempt few.

"I suppose." He trusted both her and his leader several times over, so if they deemed the worst of the aftermath over, he would believe in their decisions. "I forgot to tell you, Kimimaro is going to be home late tonight."

"Really," Her lips curved up slyly, she knew exactly where her student would be going, "He is too cute."

"You make me jealous." Kakashi joked lightly as he pulled out some clean plates.

"Oh, don't mistake me here," Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness, something he would be blind to see, "You have your cute moments too, but mostly you're dashingly handsome, no?"

"Are you sure we should be here?" A tentative voice asked quietly, on the verge of whispering although they were alone.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," Naruto gave his trademark grin that did little to calm her worries, though she did understand how her best friend could have a crush on him.

"This is the way to Kakashi-sensei's house," Sasuke clarified, "Me and Naruto spend a lot of our free time here training, and now that we're a team, the both of us thought the three of us could get stronger here together."

"I-," Sakura was touched at the raven's answer. After the initial happiness at being put on the same as the Uchiha had worn off she had begun to stress and worry. The two of them were the best their year had to offer and she knew her own faults were blaringly obvious. Honestly, their strength intimidated her, as well as their prior friendship she had been shoved right into.

"We're here," Naruto chirped as he broke into a small dash, "Oneechan!"

"His cousin also happens to live here," Sasuke clarified, noticing Sakura's questioning expression, "She's Kakashi-sensei's lover, as well as my older sister." He struggled a bit through the sentence, but either way it startled his female teammate. "Naruto said he didn't want any secrets between us." He ended, filling the silence she left, before quickly walking away.

"Ah! Wait for me-" She shook herself out her daze and chased after to the two boys, abruptly stopping as her eyes caught sight of a white figure dancing in what seemed to be the backyard. On closer inspection it was an older male, and he wasn't dancing but instead practising the way of the sword.

"He seems to catch everyone," A smooth voice stated with a fond but exasperated sigh, "You must be Sakura-chan. It's nice to meet you." The young genin turned her eyes upon yet another vision. The woman was beautiful, her hair only a shade darker than Naruto's and her eyes a tad on the greener side, and yet she held herself strong, like any firstclass kunoichi. She looked exactly the kind of ninja girls like Sakura aspired to become. "I'm Namikaze Miyu." There it was. The infamous name she had only heard spoken in hushed voices.

"Oh, the pleasure's mine." The pink haired girl replied weakly, slightly overwhelmed. There was so much she wanted to ask as already it seemed most of her preconceptions of her teammates were wrong.

Questions, Haruno Sakura had a lot of unanswered questions she didn't dare ask. Instead she ranted her worries to Ino, her confidant, and closest friend. Who knows what she would have suffered if their friendship didn't exist. From things like love worries, each of their respective crushes seemingly depressingly impossible at times, to apparently the deepest, darkest secrets of the village, namely the Uchiha 'Conspiracy'.

She had spent a total of two weeks with her team, performing dreary non-rewarding D-ranked missions, and visiting the quaint house hidden away in the forest within the village.

Progress wise she had improved leaps and bounds, yet was still painfully far away from her teammates. She was patient. Kakashi took their lessons 'relatively' seriously and there were always a surplus of people around to offer help. She had almost squealed when Sasuke offered to show her the ropes of tree-climbing. The three of them often spared with one another, friends from other teams, Kakashi sensei and the swordsman Kimimaro. Whilst Sasuke and Naruto were always raring to go, constantly challenging the older blonde, she had only offered them a fight if they happened to beat her student. As it was, Kimimaro could take all three of them at once.

Uchiha Namikaze sometimes Uzumaki Miyu, or Hatake Miyu as her sensei had joking corrected, was odd. She was the centre of so many things yet seemed to always be hovering in the peripherals. She asked Ino, and apparently the sunny blonde often visited her family before the Uchiha incident when she was forced into hiding. Shikamaru and Chouji had said the same things, as well as Kiba and Shino when she had chanced the question. Hinata saw her more frequently as she was like an older sister, having been her uncle's student, and was happy enough to answer some simple questions.

"He's thinking about nee-san again," Sasuke scrunched up his nose as their lazy sensei let out a dazed sigh.

"Oi, train us already Kakashi-nii!" Naruto shouted throwing a harmless stone at the tree-sitting jounin

"It's S-E-N-S-E-I," The silver haired man spelled out, moving his head to dodge the offending object, "Just take this time to relax, meditate. You're lucky I didn't take you for a mission today, the only one left is catching that damned cat anyway."

"Can't you teach us a cool jutsu at least?" the blond whined, his teammates nodding in agreement.

"Eh, can't you just practice with kunai? I'll even supply a moving target." A clone popped by his side with a smile that showed he was happy to help.

"Don't be stingy." Sasuke half-heartedly threw a handful of shuriken, not caring that misfires would hit Kakashi, not that the man would just sit there and take it. The clone took one to the shoulder and poofed out of existence. Apparently his clone hadn't cared enough about his task to dodge.

"Hey, I already train you harder than Asuma does," He was tempted to work them into the ground but he would wait until they had gotten the basics before that, "Just spar for now, Miyu has some spare chakra paper lying around and we can test your affinities later today, assuming you'll be coming over. Again..." he sighed. As promising as his team was looking, he missed having time alone with Miyu, not that Kimimaro gave him much of chance either.

"Here." Miyu slapped a leaf onto each one of their hands after collecting their results from the paper test. Yes it was a bit early for this, but they had nothing better to do in their spare time apparently and better earlier that later. Her fox nodded in agreement, letting out a happy noise as Kimimaro ran a dog brush through his fur. "These are your students, Kakashi," Miyu stepped back, taking a seat near the door way as she sipped at her steaming tea, "You give them the run through."

"Ah..." Kakashi explained it clearly and simply, doing such a good job even idiots would understand. "Remember, this chuunin level exercise so don't be surprised if it takes you longer than you expect. Also I don't want you slacking off for the sake of improving your infinity."

"Hai, Sensei," His students chirped cutely, each one of them excited at the prospect of getting ahead of their classmates.

"So I just have to cut it in two?" Naruto asked, belittling the task.

"Yes," His cousin gave a smirk that gave him shivers, "You 'just' have to cut the leaf with your chakra. Let me tell you, it took Itachi approximately one month before train his affinity, albeit I did give him the harder one."

"Nii-san?" Now Sasuke was fired up, seeing a realistic goal he could aim for. It seemed the only one who could see how truly daunting the task was, was Sakura.

"You're lucky your sensei has a sense of each main affinity," The older blonde admitted, "Feel free to bother him even after you training sessions."

"Sensei," Kimimaro's monotonous voice cut through the chatter of practice as he glanced over to the door, "Kushina-san and Nori-chan have arrived." Only a few seconds after could she here the loud laughing of a little girl as her guests arrived, as timely as always.

"Neechan!" Just like Naruto when he was younger, the little bundle of joy ran up to her for a tight hug.

"Ara, ara, as popular as always Miyu." A soothing voice intoned as the red haired beauty followed after her daughter. They both looked incredibly similar with the only exception being their eye colour.

"Mum~!" Naruto let out a loud whine, holding his leaf accusingly towards his training, "You and Nori are interfering with my team training."

"Excuse me, but if I remember correctly, team training ended a couple hours ago," Kushina said in a warning tone, "Nor is this Training Ground 7." He son quickly shut his mouth, seeing the danger in starting a losing argument.

"Kimi-nii, I want to play with Kurama!" Nori eagerly looked at the fox, safely secured in the white-haired male's lap.

"Help yourself." He pushed the fox towards the child, ignoring the betrayed glance from said animal as it was pulled into a smothering hug.

"Be careful Kimi,"Miyu chuckled, watching the interaction, "Kurama's going to be out to get you for this." Her apprentice merely shrugged, the whole thing was too usual an occurrence.

"It's nice to meet you Kushina-san." Sakura greeted, feeling more at ease than at the beginning of team assignments.

"No need for honorifics," The red head said with a wave, "It makes me feel old. It's also an honour to meet the mystery member of my son's team. I've already heard a bit about you from Minato since Naruto hardly tells me anything."

"Hokage-sama?" the girl echoed in slight amazement.

"Hai," Kushina confirmed, "He told me he picked someone he thought had a good enough head on their shoulders in case those two got out of hand." She pointed to Naruto and Sasuke who had gotten into some sort of petty quarrel, "And I can already see why."

"I'm going to go start dinner." The new Team 7 watched as their teacher left, seemingly unconcerned about their extra training. In fact, from the door way to the back yard they could see the man completely domesticated as he slipped on an apron and pulled out metal pans.

"Does Kakashi-sensei often do the cooking?" Sakura asked wondering why it only seemed slightly weird a trained killer was wearing a pink apron.

"He and Kimi alternate," Miyu replied, "It seemed the food I make is more miss than hit."

"Oh, but when it hits it's fantastic." Kushina praised. It was left unsaid that the misses were near inedible.

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

**A/N Thanks for reading.**

**It's kinda a simple chapter, one more dedicated to getting everyone up to speed, before I hit the Wave arc and then Chuunin Exams.**

**I really don't know what else to say. I'd like to add a bit more 'action' to this but I'm kinda struggling. As it is we've entered auto-cruise mode, so I guess enjoy the ride.**


	28. Into the Mist

"Have I changed too much?" Miyu carefully cleaned her sword, using the time to chat with her partner. The house itself was quiet; she had almost forgotten how lonely a home with no one in it was.

**''What defines too much?''** The fox asked, glaring at the metal blade. He greatly disliked the self-proclaimed Masamune, even if its spirit had only appeared on their first meeting.

"I wonder." She had a lot of things to consider. For one, Konoha was flourishing with Minato as Hokage, especially with him actively working to repair the broken relationships they had with other villages. It was considered one of the safest, most secure hidden village, most likely because of their overwhelming strength, having come out on top during the last war. But would this deter her enemies? Could she protect Sasuke from Orochimaru? Was Sasuke even his prime target anymore? "I have no way of knowing if their motives have changed."

**''Either way you can adapt,''** Kurama rumbled, **''I believe you will able to stop the snake. And if he were to get his way, there will be no defection. There is no need for it.''** He spoke truth; after all, the snake would find no vessel here, no one willing to become a slave for power. **''But this much you know. It is something else on your mind troubling you.''**

"You know me too well," She gave a small laugh, holding the sword up to the light, and searching for and chips in the blade, "How much of my life will Naruto be forced to go through? He has a loving family and the village treats him well. He's grown up with good morals, Kushina made sure not to spoil him, but I wonder if he understands what it is to be a ninja."

**''Ah...''** The demon sighed, padding over and resting his head on her lap.

"Sasuke was forced to learn the hard way, and I took away from him the pride backing the Uchiha name," It would be a lie if she said she regretted her actions, it was merely the consequences that left her unsatisfied, "He may not have seen it with his own eyes, but he understands death more than his other classmates."

**''What do you expect?''** They are growing up in a rare Miyu is was the proof of her efforts but the fact that they were shinobi meant that even with peace your life would still be in danger.

"Do you remember, when Neji came back from his C-rank a few weeks back Gai called me over to talk with him. You see, he finally picked up his first kill. He did it to protect a teammate, but apparently it put him a state of shock." As stoic and calm-headed the genius Hyuga was, apparently he found it difficult to come to terms with how fragile the human body was. "I think it's particularly bad for his as a taijutsu user. To kill your opponent with a single well placed strike you would have practiced with your friends earlier. He became afraid Gai told me. Apparently he refused to spar with anyone, especially Hinata."

**''I do recall you got injured during your 'talk' was that his doing?''** The fox questioned, remembering the echo of pain he had felt through their link.

"I merely reminded him that he was in control of his actions. If he didn't want to hurts his friends then he didn't have to. It's a simple fact." And she may or may not have purposely hurt herself to show him that people can recover, but that was a small side note. "If that was Neji, when I think of Naruto I can only worry. Surely you know what is about to happen?" He knew everything about her including the details of her memory. As such, as soon as Team 7 received their first C-rank, they knew it would only be trouble.

**''You could interfere. Make sure it ends how you want.''** And indeed she could, she had at least that much power. **''But then they will not learn.''**

"I don't even know if they'll meet." She sighed it was tiring to think about, "Will Naruto meet Haku in that field? Will he have a reason to go there? Will they talk and befriend one another? Or will Haku simply die protecting Zabuza. Dying together with no one to hear their story, it seems sad."

"I'll go." Miyu replied with a wry smile, she couldn't help it.

"Are you sure?" Hizashi asked as the both of them and a handful of other jounin stood in the Hokage's office.

"Yeah, I'm more than strong enough to act as back up," The blonde stated confidently, "I've also been meaning to take Kimi out of the village for a bit and now would be a good chance."

"Alright," Minato acknowledge her resolve, knowing she was more than able to take care of herself, "Do you remember the details of the mission?"

"Kakashi informed me before they left that they were escorting the bridge builder to the Land of Waves."

"Correct." The Hokage sighed tiredly wondering if he should have acted on his suspicions and instincts to avoid the whole mess, "Tazuna is lucky it was Kakashi's team I sent."

"Indeed. I'll prepare to leave straight away."

**''So you will go anyway?'' **The fox's chuckle was loud in her mind despite the owner being far away. **''Am I to stick to our plan?''** She gave the equivalent of a mental nod, none of the shinobi around her ever noticing the mental conversation she was having. Good luck, she wished knowing that she wouldn't be seeing the demon for a long few weeks.

"This is the Land of Waves?" Kimimaro looked around warily, keeping himself alert and prepared.

"Relax, Kimi," His sensei called as she stretched her arms out, her semi-gloved hands stretching out from her rather long sleeves, "We won't run into any dangers, not here." She motioned around at the expanse of water they were simply walking across.

"Hai, sensei." His tense body lightened up ever so slightly, and Miyu assumed it was the best she would get from him.

"Over this way." When they stepped onto land she led him away from the worn path and instead into the forest, walking confidently between the tall trees. Her student didn't question a thing. He never did. Every time they had travelled in a foreign land she had never led him astray, leading the way as if she knew the place like the back of her hand.

This time was no exception.

"Gah!" They heard a familiar shout along with loud splashing that scared away any bird lingering in the area.

"See they're right over here." The exited into a clearing with a large lake and three children trying their hardest to stand on its surface, much like the duo had accomplished on their way here.

"Welcome, Miyu." Kakashi called from across the clearing, leaning his back on a wide tree, a simple crutch sitting beside him.

"Nee-san?" As much as her little brother wanted to turn around, he couldn't afford to, not unless he wanted another freezing bath.

"What are you doing here, Oneechan? You brought Kimimaro with you to, is it a mission?" Naruto had no such problems as he was already neck deep in the lake water. It seemed Sakura was the only one remotely dry and even still, her legs were trembling.

"We're your back-up." She walked right up to him and flicked his forehead. The lake was big enough that the easiest way would be straight across, and her student demonstrated it beautifully. "Looks like Zabuza gave you a run for your money, Kakashi." The man gave an indignant grunt. He had been caught by surprise, and he was still the one who came out on top...even though both jounin had been incapacitated.

"If he didn't then he wouldn't be the Demon of the Mist." He said simply with a shrug, "It seems like everything will be decided in the next fight, so I'm trying to prepare them for it, but..."

"It'll be fine now. Kimi is more than enough to fight off Zabuza's little helper should he pose a problem, and Zabuza will not win against both of us." Miyu spoke confidently, reassuring the worried man.

"That makes me feel a little better," Kakashi sent her a loving look, "What would I do without you, ne?"

"Hah..." He let out a small sigh, his breath fogging in the morning chill. Despite the cold his body was warm through his practice, and fluid in its movements. After last night's scuffle Kakashi's students had sulkily returned to their rooms and their hosts had done the same. Despite its cosy appearance the home's atmosphere was stifling, especially when the topic of a child's dead father had come up. He sighed again and lowered his blade. He had never had the best upbringing so he found it hard to understand the boy's emotions.

After all when his father and clan had been slaughtered in their arrogance, he had felt nothing. Maybe he could liken it to his own sensei dying, not that he would ever allow that to happen. A rustling in some nearby caught his attention and he quickly pulled his sword back, ready to strike like a startled snake. "Who's there? Come out now."

"Sorry for peeking," An androgynous boy in a pink kimono stepped out of the bush, small leaves scattered in his long black hair, "I came here to look for some plants but before I realised I was watching you..." He seemed to be trying his hardest to appear harmless, but the ninja remained sceptical. "I'm Haku," He greeted in an overly sweet voice, "Are you a shinobi?"

"Hai," He lowered his weapon, minding his manners but not leaving himself defenseless against the unknown. "Kimimaro," He introduced, "What kind of plants are you looking for?" He couldn't see and weapons hidden on the stranger and slowly sheathed his sword, confident he would not be caught unaware.

"Medicinal ones," Haku held out his basket, showing his collection of local remedies, "I'm sorry to have interrupted your training."

"It's fine..." A small silence drew out as they merely stared at one another, assessing the level of threat, "Allow me to help." Kimimaro recognized a few of the flowers and leaves, also remembering which ones he had spotted in the area.

"Ah, thank you," The feminine boy was taken aback but appreciated the help. His eyes held a certain sharpness about them that weren't unnoticed. "So, what is it like?" He asked curiously, "Being a shinobi that is."

"I-," Kimimaro seemed to hit a wall as he tried to reply, "I've never known what it was like to not be a ninja. It is normal." As odd as his reply was, Haku seemed to understand, maybe a bit too well.

"Do you...have someone important to you?" he questioned, immediately receiving a response.

"Yes," The swordsman searched for his gaze, those eyes were not the eyes of a civilian, "And so do you."

"It seems...someone can only become strong when they have something important to protect." The familiar words escaped his lips, and he wondered why exactly he was speaking to the Konoha shinobi.

"I understand that." How could he not after his sensei had drilled those words and meanings into him.

"Then you are strong."

"Welcome back Kimi." She had that knowing look in her eyes again, pausing her conversation with Tazuna to greet her wayward student, "How was your walk?"

"Interesting." He watched as his sensei and the old man rose and fell as Kakashi completed a set of push-ups with the both of them seated on his back.

"He was so cute when he was little," Miyu whined to the bridge builder, ignoring the fact that her student was standing right before her, "Why did he get so big so fast?"

"That's how kids are," Tazuna laughed heartily, "You look away for a second and they're off doing their own thing, getting married, having children, growing taller than you. By the time you're my age, you learn that's just how things are."

"Right now Sasuke and Naruto are the only ones that let me spoil them, but soon I'll only have my younger cousin left." She missed those days where she could drop by houses and play with the younger forms of her friends.

"Shouldn't you have your own child then?" A spluttering came from beneath them as Kakashi collapsed out of sheer embarrassment. "What's up with him?" Tazuna asked, noticing the slight tinge of red above the ninja's mask.

"Well..." Miyu was also a bit red. This wasn't the first time the conversation had turned on her like this.

"Sensei and Kakashi-san are dating." Kimimaro supplied monotonously.

"Really?" Tazuna looked between the two jounin disbelievingly and then down at the silver haired ninja he was sitting on, "You got yourself a good one."

"I know." Kakashi gave his patented eyes smile as he was helped up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"So... how long?" The old man asked in a gossipy tone.

"4 years." He replied instantly.

"That's quite a long time...4 years and you still don't have kids?" The bridge builder seemed genuinely amazed. He seemed to realize something and leant closer, whispering only for Kakashi to hear. "You two have, uh, done it right?"

"Of course." Miyu cut in, annoyed, "Kunoichi have several methods of avoiding pregnancy old man, our jobs don't really allow for children unless you're prepared to leave the roster for a couple of years, or permanently."

"It's exactly as she says." Kakashi confirmed, "A lot of Kunoichi rarely return to duty after having kids."

"But you do want kids, right?" For Tazuna it was difficult to understand the norms of ninja life so he chose to ask simple questions. The reply he got wasn't verbal but instead a look he was forced to read off their faces, and he was curious as to what it meant.

"Inari, I'll prove to you," Her counterpart stated, struggling to keep himself calm, "I'll prove to you that heroes do exist." This conversation had been going on since the start of their stay. Inari, Tazuna's grandson was as Miyu remembered during her past. And Naruto, despite his differing experiences, still shared the same values she had had. Sure, no one was running out of the house in frustration but the tension was still there.

"Why do you guys bother to try so hard? No matter how hard you train you're still no match for Gatou's men," Miyu leant back listening to the boy rant out his frustration, "No matter what glorius claims you make or how hard you work, when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed!"

"Whatever kid...I'm not like you." Naruto replied, somewhat tiredly. Indeed his upbringing had been different, but he still harboured that sole, heavy secret and the emotions he would never show.

"I'd hate to be like you!" Inari retorted, tears running down his face as he shouted, "You don't know anything about this country yet you're being so nosy!"

"Yeah, yeah, you've been saying the same thing since we got here." Tazuna's daughter shook her head sadly. Her heart pained seeing her son like this. "I know enough-"

"You don't know anything...You're always clowning around, acting cheerful... you don't know how hard life can be!" Something seemed to snap at his words, not in Naruto though... no the boy was forcefully calm, instead it was in his friend beside him.

"Shut up." Sasuke's cold voice cut through their argument his dark eyes boring into the whiny child, "You're the one who's ignorant here. How exactly do you want us to act then?"

This new turn of events seemed to surprise everyone at the table, scraps of dinner lying long forgotten, "You're a mere civilian, what could you know about being a shinobi? You simply do what you want, cry when you want, without even thinking of the consequences of your actions. Look how miserable you've made your family." As if to prove his point he directed Inari's attention to his heartbroken mother, "You don't like seeing people happy, you want everyone to be miserable just like you."

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura pulled on the boy's sleeve and he took a precious second to collect himself.

"You don't know the weight of a life, to protect one or to take one," He exhaled slowly but held his gaze firm, "The feeling of anxiety when the ones you care about are sent on dangerous missions, the helplessness. We devote ourselves to the village, shinobi are tools placed in the hands of their leaders, and at any time we could die a painful death." His hands trembled, either from fear or frustration, but the presence of his teammates beside him calmed him down greatly.

"I don't know if I have the right to say this, since I was originally a civilian as well," Sakura began slowly, deciding to speak up, "But while your life may not be the best, it certainly isn't the worst. Crying gets you nowhere, because if I was a villain I could care less about some kid crying in his home, so you might as well stop. Instead think about what you can do, for yourself and others. You dad was a hero and fought for what he believed, so don't tarnish his memory simply because he died for it. We're here to offer you our help, and I believe we're strong enough to defeat Gatou so is it that bad to put a little of your faith in us?" Miyu allowed herself to smile; these kids had grown up well.

"Long time no see, Kakashi." A hoarse, disembodied voice cut through the heavy mist, bringing about a certain pressure with it that promised pain and death, "I see you brought company. Traded out the blond brat for another, prettier version it seems."

"...I'm flattered." There was a slight pink tinge on her cheeks. Zabuza had made a big impression on her when they had first met...how could he have not? The curious thing was the shape of that impression. It just so happened that the so called Demon of the Mist had been her first, short-lived, love.

"Ahem!" Kakashi cleared his throat loudly, not exactly appreciating his lover's reaction, "I'm going to ask you one last time Zabuza, abandon this job and you're guaranteed your life."

"No can do Kakashi," The bandaged missing-nin replied, "Gatou's paying me big money to eliminate the bridge builder."

"You know he's not going to pay up." Miyu cut in, "So take the opportunity to leave and find your money elsewhere."

"I know the type of man Gatou is, and I know how to deal with him. If he tries to betray me, I'll just take more than what he owes, his life included," He slammed his cleaver of a sword down on the ground, cutting through the stone of the bridge, "Now cut the chit-chat, and fight me, Kakashi."

"I'll stay back and protect Tazuna with Sakura-chan," The older blonde stated, "I can tell you want to fight, Sasuke." She had no right to interfere, and she knew that Haku would not kill her younger brother, nor would she allow him to.

"Arigatou, onee-san." The young Uchiha was shaking with excitement; his blood was running hot through his veins. It was a shame they left Naruto behind that morning.

"Where's Kimimaro-san?" Sakura asked anxiously. Unlike her other teammates she was admittedly afraid, but she had enough resolve to stay and fight in the least.

"I sent him to protect the villagers, in case Gatou's men are prowling around." Miyu replied calmly. Around her she could hear the sound of steel as the fight began. To one side Kakashi and Zabuza fought with kunai strikes aimed at each other's vitals, while over to her left the two younger ninja competed with speed. She knew exactly how things were to pan out and until she deemed it necessary she would not interfere, no matter how much she wanted to.

"What the hell is that?" Tazuna exclaimed as a familiar ice done formed on the bridge.

"It's a kekkei genkai, a technique passed down within specific clans." She explained, watching as Sasuke lost his small advantage. No matter how much he differed from the one in her past, he was still no match for a chuunin level ninja with far more experience...at least not without his awakened eyes.

"Like the Sharingan-!" Sakura jumped forward mid question, wanting to run over and help the boy as his clothes began to stain with red, only to be held back by a firm grip.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Don't worry," Miyu told the girl as well as herself, "Looks like Naruto's arrived, so let's let them fight for a bit longer." Her cousin made a showy entrance, loud enough for everyone to take notice. And stupidly he had done exactly the same she had at this point, and stepped into the ice cage.

"Idiot!" they could hear Sasuke shout as his plans of having an outside attacker went down the drain. Instead of focusing her attention on the kids Miyu was forced back to Kakashi's fight. Zabuza had once again 'overcome' the fearsome Sharingan, as his mocking voice echoed in the thickening mist. He really was a genius at silent killing, but it was not nearly enough to overcome the advantage she had.

"Nice try, Zabuza," Miyu said as she blocked his attack, her own slim blade looking like it would snap under the might of Kubikiribocho, "But you're better off fighting Kakashi." He had attempted to use the mist as a shroud to assassinate his target but hadn't counted the older blonde as a threat.

"A swordsman," The demon of the mist gave her sword a scrutinizing look. It was odd, especially seeing as the edge was on the back of the blade, but he couldn't quite say his own sword was normal either, "It's rare to meet another one."

"I'd appreciate if you could get away from them, Zabuza." Kakashi called, throwing a handful of shuriken at his opponent.

"Protective, aren't we?" He grinned under his bandages, mostly out of anticipation, "I'd much rather fight her if this is the level you are at." He mocked, "Who would have thought a little mist was all it took to conquer the mighty Sharingan Kakashi." He faded away into his shroud, looking to end the silver haired man quickly.

"You seem to think I've survived in this world with only the Sharingan," Kakashi called, his voice echoing in the bridge, "You seem to know a lot about me so I'll show you something special, my own jutsu."

"!" Everyone seemed to halt, as they felt the overwhelming pressure of a sickening chakra leaking from the ice dome.

"Naruto." Kakashi caught on quickly, and pulled a scroll out from his pocket, running his bleeding palm against the black ink before throwing it into the air, his hands flicking through the necessary signs before he slammed them onto the ground. "Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu." Miyu found her eyes straying to that of Sasuke's body. She could see now, that he wasn't dead, but it still wasn't pleasant. Haku was far too kind. Naruto though, was in an uncontrollable rage. His whiskers had thickened and his eyes were a dark crimson as he growled ferally, the guttural sound reaching even her ears. He swiped at his opponent, smashing through the unbreakable ice mirrors, and landing a strong hit on the masked boy. She could not only see his moves, but also remember her own. For a second time Haku stood there, as broken as his mask, his face emotionless as he awaited death as a useless tool. And only then, while watching her possessed cousin, did she realise her mistake. She had changed too much, this Naruto had never met the feminine boy in the forest, never talked to him or even seen him before. They were strangers fighting so of course there was nothing to hold the furious blond back. He would kill him.

**A/N Yet again, thank you for keeping up with this series.**

**As you can see Miyu is starting to seriously consider the effects of her interference in this timeline. And she has a right to.**

**Uh, simply because I doubt Naruto would end up storming off and training out in the woods, Kimimaro was the one who met with Haku. And I feel like they are both very similar in a lot of ways...**

**Also, concerning that ever-memorable scene (the small fight in Tazuna's house between Inari and Naruto), whilst Naruto actually grew up very differently i still believe that he has that heroic mindset. Though it didn't end with him getting angry, instead that's reserved for Sasuke.**

**...Did I mention I really like Zabuza? In the anime he was one of my favourite antagonists mainly because he wasn't an ass. He was a very good example of a ninja that, while ruthless, still had his own resolve...and he genuinely cared about Haku.**

**Other than that I have nothing else in particular I want to say. So I'll see you next chapter.**


	29. A collection of misfits

"I'm sorry," Miyu stood in front of the broken tool, her back towards her enraged nephew, looking straight into those empty eyes with her own, "Haku." There was a small, almost unnoticeable reaction towards his own name, but otherwise he had accepted his fate. As he closed his eyes she drew her sword, the metal screeching against the sheath in resistance. Whilst the sword may have been somewhat sentient, Miyu had defeated it by force once, and could easily do it again. In a smooth motion she flipped the sword, exposing the deadly blade, before slicing upwards.

"Aaaarggh!" The blonde turned her head at the sound of the rough scream, watching as Zabuza was simultaneously electrocuted and impaled, unable to escape with his limbs held down by Kakashi's dogs. "Guh..." He coughed out a mouthful of blood, looking in slight amazement at the arm that pierced his chest before turning his head, returning her gaze.

His cold gaze flickered, trailing down to the body before her, its clothes beginning to dye a deep red. The demon of the mist seemed to come to an understanding, falling to his knees as Kakashi withdrew his arm. The entire time he held her gaze, for what reason Miyu could only guess as she watched life slip from his grasp, a soundless name forming on his lips.

"...you killed him?" This whole time she had almost completely forgotten her primary concern.

"Naruto," She looked over her shoulder at the boy. It seemed shock had easily overtaken his rage as he looked down at the unmoving body. "This is what it means to be a ninja, do you understand?" In all honesty she could have let him have his way earlier but she knew her little cousin too well. It would've done no good, it was far too soon.

"Heh, looks like they were useless after all," Their reprieve was cut short by the main antagonist of the small village. The small man was confident enough to laugh at them, behind him a small army of weak bandits he believed enough to raze the town, "I ought to thank you, seeing as I no longer need to pay them, not that I was planning to."

"You-!" Miyu covered Naruto's mouth and shook her head. There was no use for shouting and arguments in a situation like this.

"But that's enough of that," Despite being so short, Gato seemed to have a talent for acting above others, "Kill them all." With a single command and the clack from his cane the hired men took a menacing step forward.

"Hah..."Kakashi let out a tired sigh, he was exhausted, especially after using his eye for a second time within the week. Nonetheless, he didn't back down, knowing that the bandits wouldn't leave without blood. despite his readiness though, it seemed he wouldn't have to fight at all.

"Stand back," Miyu ordered, wiping her sword clean of blood before returning it to its case, the dragon on the blade clearly visible without the obscuring red liquid. She felt she had tarnished the noble sword enough and chose to hover over her more fragile companion. The weak blade would be more than enough for mere thugs. The men sneered at her, their eyes lingering enough to make anyone disgusted.

"Hey-" The first man never got a chance to finish his sentence before he was lying dead on the floor, blood spraying from the gash on his chest. Miyu on the other hand, hadn't seemed to have moved, the only signs of her involvement being the soft click of her decorative blade.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gato asked impatiently, "It can't be that difficult..." His voice died down as his men fell before him. It was rather admirable how the hired rogues stood to protect their living paycheck only to be cut down before they realised. Dead before they hit the ground.

"Ah..." She made a small sound of distaste as her clothes were splattered with blood. Cutting through the main arteries often caused more of a mess despite its efficiency, and before long the red raining down became a fine mist. It was ever so slightly nostalgic. Slowly she moved her gaze from the lifeless corpses to the small man before her.

"Hiee..." Trembling, the tycoon took a step back, nothing left remaining of his boasted army aside from those who had fled early, "...don't come any closer." At a glimpse of red in those cruel eyes he fell back, stumbling and crawling like the rodent she saw him as.

"Trash." This time the voice came from behind him as his back came in contact with an obstacle. He didn't dare turn to face the newcomer though, fearing death the instant he dropped her gaze.

When his conscience woke his first action was to cry. Before reason and knowledge had returned to him, tears had trailed from his eyes which stayed firmly shut, too heavy to open. Among the darkness he felt his heavy heart beating, telling him that he was indeed, alive. And then, when his memories came to him it was as if his world had shattered.

Forcing his eyes open he saw an unfamiliar roof, and pushing himself up he felt the pain of his wounds tearing open, the lukewarm wetness of his blood seeping into the off-white bandages. At this point he came to notice an unrelenting keening sound that caused his ears to ring. He wanted it to stop, but it was impossible without knowing the source. It was frustrating but not enough to distract him from his current objective. There was nothing around him looking sharp enough to slit his throat with, nor did this appear to be a building he could fall to death by jumping out of, forcing him to settle for the more crude option of biting off his own tongue.

"Don't." At his first attempt a hand was rudely shoved into his mouth, and with it the sound seemed to choke to a stop, making him realise it was his own screaming. Viciously he bit at the hand but it refused to move, leaving his mouth uncomfortable...with the taste of blood. His eyes trailed up the pale arm until he met the vivid green eyes of a familiar face.

"Kimimaro," Yet again there was that voice, one that he found completely unknown, but there was something beyond that... a tone he couldn't read, "You can release him."

"Hai, sensei." Her student obediently removed his hand, much to their guest's relief, a large gash-like bite-mark bleeding rather profusely. Immediately she attended to it, cleaning and bandaging his hand quickly and efficiently. "We match..."

"So it seems." Miyu replied wryly, looking at her own bandaged hand that had been severely burned by the temperamental blade. "But more importantly, let me tend to your wounds, Haku." She tsked at the red bandages, though one couldn't really say his actions were unexpected, and slowly began unwrapping them.

"Where is Zabuza-sama?" The boy asked, his tone full of despair and little to no hope.

"Dead," She wondered if it would have been better if they had died together, but at least this way he had more of a choice, "Like you should be."

"And yet you stop me from killing myself?" Haku couldn't bring himself to smile about the silliness of her statement, his expression tired, "What are you talking about?" In response Miyu pulled out her sword, silently drawing the blade and placing it on the boy's lap. Even with the barrier of a blanket, he could feel its unnatural warmth.

"That is Goro Masamune, the sword that was meant to end your life," Miyu explained, peeling away the final layer to reveal the deep laceration across his chest, "Make no mistake, I did not hold back when I cut you. It was the sword that deemed you worthy of living."

"You're telling me the sword is sentient?" It was completely farfetched, but not impossible by ninja standards, "Why exactly did it let me live?"

"Who knows?" Miyu shrugged, carefully applying a medical balm she had received from Hizashi, "It's something you can think about instead of how to kill yourself."

"I have nothing left to live for, nor do I care why I was spared," The feminine boy buried his face in his hands as he realised once more, that he was alone, "My only wish is to join Zabuza-sama in death."

"Don't be selfish," The blonde said offhandedly, "There is no point in trying to please the dead. And I know Zabuza would much rather see his legacy alive."

"Legacy?" Haku echoed.

"Of course," She felt a little bad playing with his devotion, but if it was the only way to boost his will to live, she'd try it at least, "You were the one person who spent the longest time with Zabuza, and he taught you almost everything he knew, told you most if not all of his past. If you were to die it's likely the world would simply forget. Would you be happy with that?"

"No...not at all." Truthfully he would hate it. He loathed the idea that his dear Zabuza-sama could be simply forgotten about, that his name would no longer instill fear in even the strongest ninja.

"Then all you must do is live for him. Not as Haku his tool, but as Haku the son he never had." She smiled but her eyes remained sharp, searching for his resolve. "Kimimaro, keep watch over him," She requested, hoping that the two might talk, "I need to send a letter back to Minato."

"How is he?" Kakashi asked curiously. It had been a week after the battle and the bridge was well on its way. The only loose end remaining was Zabuza's accomplice that Miyu had decided to save.

"As expected." She replied, standing by the window and whistling softly.

"Hai Miyu-sama," A familiar eagle swooped in and perched on the windowsill, wing raised in salute, "What can I do for you?"

"I've got another delivery, Kawashi," The eager summon was rather cute at times, and extremely useful, "The usual." She attached a small scroll to its leg and it set off immediately, no doubt timed to make it there and back in a day.

"What are you planning?" Kakashi asked curiously, knowing the peculiar whims of the woman.

"Nothing much, just cashing in favours." She explained.

"So how's your hand?" Like always, he allowed her the little secrets she enjoyed, never really pressing for a more definite answer. Instead, he took her right hand in his own, holding it gently as he tried to see through the wrappings.

"It's healing well," She answered, it seemed like the sword was something to be reckoned with, "I should be able to take off the bandages by tomorrow."

"Good." Despite the reassurance he didn't release her hand, instead pulling the blonde down into his lap. "Ah, so tired." He put his chin on her shoulder, happily engulfing her in an odd sort of hug.

"You sound like an old man," Miyu scrunched up her nose but couldn't hold the face for long, breaking out into soft laughter, "You even have the hair."

"Ehh," He let out a whine but was too lazy to truly complain, "Somehow I don't mind so much seeing as I'll have you by my side regardless." He was a natural smooth talker but she feared he had picked up half of his lines from Jiraiya's famous novels.

"You should act a bit more lively," She slapped him gently on the arm, and with a peck on his masked mouth, she stood up, "I suppose I'll give Tazuna some help today. The quicker he finishes that bridge the sooner we'll be back home."

"It's done," Minato handed over a number of forms, including a brand new Hitai-ate, "There was a small fuss from a certain part of the council, but the majority were fine with it."

"Thank you," She put away the important documents, sealing them into a small scroll, "Are there going to be any bothersome consequences?"

"Possibly," The Hokage gave her a weak look. As powerful as he was it was difficult keeping everyone happy, "Danzo and a couple others are pushing for you to be in charge of a team, seeing as now you have two able ninja under you. Don't be surprised if you receive a new student."

"I guess it was to be expected," She assumed Danzo wanted her on a tighter leash. All things considered, the war hawk seemed appeased with Minato's ruling. For how long though was beyond her guesses, "If it comes to it I won't be too bothered, so long as it's someone adequately trained."

"Haha, I'll make sure to put that in your list of prerequisites," He let out a light laugh, "Anything else you want?"

"You sound as if it's already been decided," She sent him a rather deadpan look, "Haa...Whatever, I'll leave it to you." Raising her hand in a lazy wave, she prepared to leave the room.

"Don't forget we'll be coming over for dinner tonight!" the older blond called just as she reached the door.

"Hai, hai."

"Who are you?" Nori walked up to the stranger without any fear or hesitation, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Ah, I'm Haku," He forced a smile, not wanting to discourage the young girl, "You must be Nori-chan right?"

"Hai," She nodded cutely but then tilted her head and furrowed her brows, "Doesn't your face hurt?"

"Eh?" Haku brought a hand to his cheek, lightly checking for any irregularities.

"You're very pretty," Nori praised honestly, "So you shouldn't make such painful expression." She struggled a bit with the larger words but he heard them clearly.

"I agree," Miyu appeared behind her, picking up the girl who seemed to giggle in delight, "Do you regret your decision Haku?"

"...No," he dropped his smile, looking around the room, with dim eyes, "In my mind I realise my death would be pointless. But it takes more effort than I thought to keep going."

"Of course." Around them she heard the laughter of Team 7 as the Hokage retold some rather embarrassing stories. It was a nice sound but she wondered how long before Haku would also be a part of it.

"I truly believe fighting for someone is what makes one strong," Haku admitted with a hint of desperation in his tone, "But with Zabuza-sama gone I have no one left. Right now, there is nothing my weak self can do."

"I can't deny your words, nor am I cruel enough to offer you a replacement," Miyu began wisely, "But until you find someone you wish to protect, I don't think there is anything wrong in fighting for the dead." Her newest student could only offer her a wry smile.

"How about me?" Nori eagerly raised her hand, drawing their attention, "I want someone to protect me!"

"Aren't you being a little greedy, Nori-chan?" Her neechan flicked her gently on the forehead, "Did you already forget about your parents? You have more people than you can count that would fight for you."

"But that's different!" The girl whined, squirming out of her grasp so she could stand next to Haku, "Mommy has daddy, and you have Kakashi-niisan. So I want Haku-san."

Stubbornly she held onto his kimono with an unmistakeable red tint to her cheeks.

"Ah..." Haku was taken aback. For one she hadn't assumed he was a woman like most others. Secondly, it looked like the Hokage's precious daughter had a crush on him.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Miyu questioned in slight disbelief, her voice hushed so that Minato wouldn't hear.

"Of course," Nori pouted cutely, her eyes alight with a passionate fire, "Even baka-niichan has Hinata-chan, and I don't want to be left behind!"

"But Nori-chan, you just met me," Haku tried voicing his own opinions, "You can't just choose someone randomly like that?"

"I can't?" She looked at them with wide, shining eyes, her lips trembling in disappointment, "Do you not like me?"

"I do, I like you a lot." Haku blurted out quickly, seeing the girl looked about to cry, though almost immediately regretting his words.

"Then its ok!" the little red-head chirped. Haku could only sigh, showing a defeated look to his future teacher. Whilst he felt a little conned, he couldn't help the small smile that slipped onto his face.

"Nice to meet you," it happened a lot quicker than she expected, but Miyu couldn't exactly say she was displeased, "I'm Namikaze Miyu, your future sensei."

"My name is Sai," the pale teen bowed respectfully, raising his head again with that fake smile of his, "It's a pleasure to join your team Sensei."

"Well then Sai, drink this." She held out a small vial filled with a black unidentifiable liquid.

"What is it?" He accepted it and tentatively sniffed it, smelling the familiar scent of ink.

"A precaution." She smiled back at him in an almost intimidating way and eventually the obedient boy did as told. Instantly she moved to touch his throat, her fingers pressed against his skin before he had even noticed.

"It tastes like blood," Sai voiced his distaste though his facial expression hadn't changed, acting as the perfect mask as per usual. His throat was warm where she touched and he wondered if it was a weird poison.

"That's a given," Miyu replied, removing her fingers once the seal was complete. She wished she could see Danzo's expression when he received an empty report, but alas it was left up to her imagination.

"What does it do?" He tilted his head curiously, feeling no change in himself.

"The same thing the seal on your tongue does." She replied offhandedly, "Though I like to think mine is better, in a many ways."

"I see." In a single action she had made him redundant, to be nothing more than her student. Later tonight he would make sure to check the inside of his throat in the mirror.

"So what rank are you?" She gave him a once over. He was a lot younger than when they first met which let her to question his current ability, "Officially."

"I'm unranked," The boy replied, "I suppose that means I'm equivalent to a genin?"

"Saa, how troublesome," For her it meant more than one would suspect, creating a flaw in her perfect plans, "I'll have to get you all registered then."

"Registered?" The boy echoed. The woman was strange. He could see there was a lot more going on in her head then she let on.

"For the chuunin exams." She began walking, knowing that Sai would follow.

"Is that an inconvenience?" The Root agent was sure most teachers would enjoy the break, while also being given the chance to show off their students, "I assure you I am strong enough to pass if that is your concern."

"I believe you." After all she had asked for someone that would match her other students, and both Kimi and Haku were beyond most chuunin. "Now tell me, how well can you use that?" She surprised him with that topic change, pointing at the tanto lying on his back.

"Teamwork, teamwork," Miyu clapped her hands in time with a silly tune as she watched her students from her perch, dangling her legs off the high branch, "Looks like you guys are getting better, but not by much." It was amusing watching the three usually stoic kids bicker among themselves as they attempted to complete a lap of her personal course. It wasn't particularly hard, seeing as she had taken out most of the traps, but that didn't meant it was easy. Especially considering their legs were tied to one another. Once again the trio reached the artificial river she had created, which was not only deeper than expected but also contained unrelenting current. They had tried swimming it the first time but learnt that kicking in time was a lot harder than simply running. She felt a little bad for Haku in particular, seeing as he was wedge in between the other two, always trying to correct their pace. After coming out nearly drowned and soaked to the bone with chilly water they chose to walk over it the second time. Once again it was easier said than done.

With their feet stepping in the same spots their chakra repelled one another forcing them to moderate their levels to match unless they wanted to swim again. It took at least 3 times as long to walk across it than to swim it, and they couldn't claim to be any drier from it. Miyu had ended up laughing when Kimimaro had gotten truly fed up. Somewhere among their twentieth laps he had simply walked over to a nearby tree and cut it down, forming a makeshift bridge. At that point she had merely shrugged at their questioning looks. She hadn't set any rules other than to run the course. If they wanted, they could have done it from the beginning.

**''Miyu.''** The familiar voice was followed by a knocking at her door. Finally, Kurama was home.

"Welcome." She hadn't said it for the fox, but rather for the person who accompanied it. He acknowledge her with a look, silently entering the house and following the fox without question.

"Are you the one the fox speaks of?" his pale green eyes struck her with a sense of nostalgia but his tone told her she was nothing more than a stranger to him.

"Yes, my name is Namikaze Miyu, it's a pleasure to meet you." She spoke calmly noticing how Kurama chose to stay close by the boy's side.

"I know," He replied monotonously, "And you must know of me also, to send your ninken all the way to Suna."

"Of course, Gaara."

**A/N Thank you for reading.**

**I've come to realise that intense fight scenes are hard to write because in a sense I have limited myself. For one, if I focus on Miyu it's difficult to describe anything other than her own situation. Also the fact she is strong makes it difficult to find an opponent that can actually duel it out with her. In this chapter its a brief showcase of iaito, the art of quickdrawing...(and man isn't it fascinating to read about a a sword style so fast people literally drop dead)**

**Yes she saved Haku. Yes Nori is a little girl. I'm thinking about a nice little relationship here.**

**Also I thought Sai being the last member of her team would be nice (seeing as Sasuke IS staying, it gives him a chance to still show his face)...it's also a little funny when I imagine the three of them since for some reason they seem similar to me.**

**And BAM Gaara!**


	30. When pruning a rose bush

The night was silent, the sky dark and moonless, but such were trivial things in his eyes. What had currently caught his attention was the strange woman serving him tea. Her tanned hand placed a simple cup on the table in front of him, steady and moving fluidly as if she didn't fear him. It was a new experience and one he did not know if he liked. He almost flinched when her hand came closer, the sand in his gourd shaking in agitation, calming only when he realised her she was merely petting the fox beside him. "Who are you?" He asked, trying to discern the look in her eyes.

"I thought we already established that Gaara." Miyu replied with a slight smile.

"You merely gave me you name. I know nothing else, nor do I know what you want of me." She spoke his name in the way one would call a friend, without a single bit of fear in her voice.

"I am just a standard shinobi of Konohagakure, nothing more nothing less," She assured, "I didn't call you here to ask for anything either. Instead I was wondering if there was something you wanted from me."

"I don't understand." The red-haired teen replied.

"Did you enjoy the past few weeks?" Miyu asked, veering slightly off topic, "Do you like the peace? The silence?" She tapped her head and he was instantly set on alert, sand rapidly seeping from the top of his gourd.

"How do you know about Mother?" Gaara asked, his voice on the verge of murder, "Why does she not speak to me anymore?"

"Shukaku is not your mother," Miyu clarified with her words falling on deaf ears, "He does not speak because there is nothing to say."

"Lies!" He held his head in his hands, pulling at the short hair, "Were you the one that took Mother from me? Give her back!" His gourd was mostly empty now, its contents swirling around him erratically.

"Kurama." The fox stood, stepping away from the boy and as he left his side the whispers in his head returned.

"Why?" the sand seemed to slow as Gaara focused his eyes on the fox. The voice was the same but its words were different, "Why does Mother fear you?" Instinctively he wanted to escape but it was almost as if something was holding him in place.

**"Because I am strong."** The fox's deep voice echoed across both their minds, **"Shukaku knows me well, but even through his fear, his hatred, he is greedy." **It was not the first time he had spoken to the boy, and if anything Gaara seemed to calm at the second voice echoing through his mind.

"Mother does not know you." The jinchuriki denied, as the voice began to confuse him. Whilst its call for blood was absent, the contradicting words affected him more. "She does not know you... know you're, you are an imposter. Leave. You did not, could not. Mother said it is, was forbidden." Miyu wondered how much of what he was conveying, he actually understood. From the mess of words it seemed Shukaku did somewhat recognize Kurama, as well as the circumstances of his current existence.

**"Shukaku, quiet down,"** Kurama all but ordered, **"You are overloading the boy."** The beast heard his words, albeit begrudgingly, disappearing further into the depths of Gaara's mind.

"She is still there," He was relieved that Mother had not left him completely again. The voice was quiet but clear, a single demand coming to his knowledge. "Mother wishes to be like the fox. She knows you are capable." Gaara turned to the blonde woman. He assumed she was strong even before his mother had told him. It seemed Mother knew what he was supposed to ask of her.

"As always you have the nicest tea, Sensei." Miyu took a relaxing sip of the steaming liquid, stretching out her legs as she bathed in the gentle sun.

"I'm lucky to have such a good supplier," Hizashi replied with a smile, "Otherwise I wouldn't have a chance to see my dear students anymore." It seemed the Hyuuga's tea was more than enough to lure his hardworking students into visiting once in a while.

"I still come by often," Iruka stated adamantly. He knew for a fact he entered the compound at least once a week.

"Ten minutes doesn't count as a proper visit," His teacher retorted, "Especially these days. What have you been up to? Has someone caught your eye Iruka?" The brunet quietly choked on his tea making both of them increasingly curious.

"This is the first I've heard," The blonde replied with a mischievous sparkle in her eye, "I'm hurt that you didn't tell me."

"What! You two have got it all wrong!" Iruka threw himself into a panicked flurry, moving his hands erratically, "It's not like she-I mean there's no one, no one at all!"

"No need to get so worked up," Hizashi gave the younger a firm pat on his back, "Whoever's got your attention is surely a lucky one, and probably a beauty if they caught your eye."

"You should make your move already," Miyu recommended, knowing her teammate far too well, "She'd be a fool to turn you down. And if this has been going on for as long as I think it has, you might as well push for more."

"I suppose," He had no idea how she would react to his advances, but it wasn't as if anything would get done with him sitting here. "No, you're right!" He seemed to find his resolve, standing up with determination in his eyes, "In fact I'm going to go right now." He abruptly bid the two goodbye before hurrying off, muttering about buying some sort of gift.

"He really left." The Hyuga was somewhat amazed, not expecting the sudden departure.

"He did." Miyu confirmed, unable to withhold the laughter in her voice. With her hand shaking she took another sip of her tea in an attempt to smother her mirth.

"Father!" A voice that had just passed puberty cut though the quiet, followed by steady, quick footsteps.

"Neji," Hizashi's voice was warm, his eyes softening as his son came into their view, "As you can see we have a guest."

"Ohayo, Miyu onee-san," The boy greeted politely, pacing his way over to them.

"You look well," Miyu ruffled his hair as he sat down beside her, much to the boys conflicting annoyance and enjoyment, "Training as hard as usual I see."

"So what's the rush, Neji?" His father asked, amused that his strong-willed son was so easily pacified.

"This," The genin held out a slip of paper with the Hokages official stamp on it, "It seems my team has been elected for the Chuunin Exams."

"Oh?"

"Miyu! It's been a while!" A friendly arm slung itself around her shoulder only to be pushed off by an annoyed Kakashi, "Ah! Don't think I've forgotten about you, my rival!" The arm returned with fervour, this time hooking around the silver-haired ninja's neck.

"I wish you had, Gai." Kakashi muttered quietly.

"I'm not sure if I envy your friendship or not," Sarutobi Asuma cut in, playing with his beard in thought.

"I know I don't." His girlfriend Kurenai was by his side, cringing at Gai's overfriendliness.

"It's better to ignore it." Miyu stated, leaning closer to take a better look at the screens. They had all been gathered for a single reason. As the leaders of the participating genin teams, they were all here to observe the Chuunin Exams.

Weak. Kimimaro looked around the room in disdain, most of his fellow competitors appearing as nothing more than cannon fodder. "You shouldn't make such an intimidating face," Haku advised, prodding his teammate in the arm, "Your scaring them." His smile was cruel yet beautiful, and Kimimaro thought him far more frightening than himself.

"Who did Miyu-sensei want us to watch out for?" Sai asked, keeping his gaze on the door as more and more competitors entered.

"The Suna group and that one." The only indications he made were with his eyes and they easily followed his gaze to an unstable looking red head and then to a nondescript Konoha nin.

"Yakushi Kabuto?" the artist queried, recognizing the bespectacled teen from his...former division.

"You know him?" Kimimaro pressed, having been told nothing but the bare minimum from their teacher. He knew their team easily surpassed the chuunin requirements, though his sensei had warned him they weren't the only ones.

"Somewhat," The artist shrugged, "Rather than say I know him, it more like I know of him."

"Is he a threat?" Haku asked, smiling at the adoring gazes from some misled genin.

"More than an average genin." Sai supposed, basing his guess off what he knew and what he could assume. He was curious about this 'sub-mission' they had been given, and wondered what exactly his teacher wanted to achieve. If there was one thing he had learnt during his brief time under Namikaze Miyu, it was that she was cunning, and always a step ahead.

"Ibiki's really enjoying himself." Asuma laughed as he watched his students easily copy down the answer though the Yamanaka's handy technique.

"If you think he's happy now then clearly you haven't seen him while he's on the job." Kakashi drawled, remembering the horrifying smile of the sadistic interrogator.

"It's nice he has something he enjoys," Miyu replied as if they were talking about a quiet hobby. She had seen all she needed to and it was about time for her to get ready.

"Are you leaving already?" Kakashi asked as she shuffled out of his comfortable hold.

"Yeah, don't be surprised if this little gathering gets interrupted." She commented, stepping out of the jounin lounge. There, waiting for her by the door, was the Hokage himself.

"So?" He asked, leading the way back to his office. His face was serious and set the tone of the conversation, both of them knowing what was at stake right now.

"He's there," Miyu confirmed, "As I predicted." Whilst she had asked her students to keep an eye out for the more troublesome entrants, she had kept them ignorant of the real danger.

"I see," His expression turned grim as they entered his office, his current guests waiting for the verdict he had just received.

"He is in the village then?" Sarutobi assumed, from a single look at the Hokage.

"Yes." She looked him straight in the eyes before turning to his student, "If you two aren't prepared, I know I am more than capable of handling him."

"No," Jiraiya shook his head, they had both had more than enough time, "I don't care how confident you are in your abilities. I will be the one to fight him."

"As you wish." She believed he would win, but she couldn't trust the toad sage to finish off the man that was once his teammate.

"Hokage-sama," She turned back to Minato, reverting to formal address, "I request permission to interfere with the Chuunin Exam."

Sai had chosen to observe things from an objective standpoint. So the fact they had passed the first test on pure luck hadn't bothered him. He knew Haku had managed to answer one or two questions by himself, and that he himself had cheated his way to a perfect score, but Kimimaro on the other hand hadn't answered a single thing. The tallest member of their team had simply put all his faith into the mysterious tenth question. They were fortunate it had simply been a test of will in the end. And then a scantily dressed woman had broken through the window, dragged them to Konoha's famous Forest of Death, and forced them to sign death wavers.

"Interesting." Kimimaro hummed as he gave the scroll to the artist to hide. When Anko said their numbers would be halved it seemed she had meant it literally.

"Which gate do we want?" Sai asked as he sealed the heaven scroll into one of the many blank scrolls in his pack.

"44." Their captain answered, not sparing a look as they passed familiar teams. This was a contest of skill and he would treat it as such. No matter how much Naruto or Sasuke wanted to fraternize with their friends, it would only be more difficult to pass with another's success weighing on your mind.

"Miyu-sensei said not to pick on anyone," Haku remembered, "So I suppose it would be better to go for teams from other villages?" Unlike his teammate he felt obliged to at least wave to those they knew, slipping a small smile in here and there.

"Possibly," Kimimaro flexed his fingers, the audible cracking noise annoying his teammates more than anything else, "Let just be the first to reach the tower." It was not only a challenge, but a request from their sensei.

"Hai." His two teammates smiled in affirmation, both looking so fake he wondered why they even went through the effort.

"You three ready?" The ninja in charge of watching their gate looked up from his watch, pulling the key from his belt. The younger ninja nodded, waiting patiently for him to unlock the gate, not even twitching as the gate keeper fell into a brief coughing fit. "Alright," He cleared his throat, pulling to lock away, "I expect great things from you three." He didn't even mind that they had vanished before he had finished his sentence.

"Left when we cross the river." Kimimaro commanded as the sped through the treetops. One might think it was unfair on the other teams that they happened to know the layout of the forest relatively well, but it was simply the benefit that came with living in the hosting village. That said though, they were only one of the few team with such information, having come here to train a handful of times.

"There's a team close to us," Sai informed, looking up at an inconspicuous ink bird flying small circles in the sky.

"Konoha?" Haku asked, none of the pausing their progress.

"Yes," The artist paused, trying to understand the message the bird wanted to convey, "Shall we check it out?" Kimimaro nodded an affirmative. If it was someone they knew then they would let them pass unnoticed, if not...bad luck.

"They'll pass us soon." Haku had closed his eyes, putting all his effort into chakra sensory. He may not have been the best, but the brief hints he got where more than enough to locate the potential enemy's position. They covered their presence as the team came into view, two navy clad members following their bespectacled leader.

"We fight." Kimimaro jumped out abruptly, standing in front of their opponents. His mere presence enough to force them to stop.

"Wait!" the shortest member stepped forward, his meek disposition belying his position as leader, "We're from Konoha too, it would be better not to fight."

"Prepare yourself." By the time Haku and Sai had shown themselves, Kimimaro had already begun drawing his sword. The flimsy metal gave a brilliant sheen, but he knew that it would not last. It was a disadvantage of many blades he wielded.

"You're Kaguya Kimimaro right?" Honestly it would be hard to find someone in the village that did not know the pale teen, "Uchiha Miyu's student correct?"

"Namikaze." He corrected, narrowing his eyes. His teacher had forfeited her rights to the Uchiha name years ago, and those that knew her allowed it. If this ninja was calling her by her former title, then he was no comrade of theirs.

"Sorry, sorry," He hastily apologized, "I'm Yakushi Kabuto. My group and I aren't looking for a fight, we just want to pass the test."

"I apologize for the rough treatment," Haku said more for formalities sake rather than actual sympathy, "But you have the scroll we need."

"How could you know that?" One of Kabuto's teammates asked, irritated that they were being held up.

"Oh, we just happened to know the scrolls each team received." The ice user answered easily. It had been a simply matter of Sai's useful techniques. After all, who would've suspected something of some harmless ants?

"Wha-How?!"

"Our conversation is over." Kimimaro had given them ample time to get ready, and if they weren't prepared it was their own fault.

"Wait, we'll give you our scroll peacefully," Kabuto reasoned, "So please let us go-" He had barely finished his sentence before he was forced to jump back, dodging a dangerous slash from the swordsman.

"Haa." Haku sighed into his sleeve as he watched the beginnings of a fight. It hadn't been very long, but he felt he had come to understand his taller teammate. They were similar in their loyalty to their respective masters, so when their sensei had stated Yakushi Kabuto was a threat to be dealt with, Haku expected nothing less than their current situation.

"It's a fight then." One of Kabuto's two teammates ascertained, "Yoroi, leave Kabuto to deal with the Kaguya. We'll eliminate the smallest threat first." They turned on the former mercenary and Haku couldn't help but feel insulted. They would pay dearly for marking him as the weakest.

Dodge. Kabuto barely had time to think of anything else as he barely evaded the blade, ducking as his opponent preformed a powerful slash that would have easily taken off his head. He barely saw the chance to counter, the chakra scalpel in his hand looking particularly inferior as aimed up for the exposed side. He wasn't quick enough. His blade hadn't pieced flesh, or slipped between the swordsman ribs to land that deadly blow on his heart. Instead he hand was roughly smacked back by the handle of a second sword. He had studied the info on his opponent for countless hours, but as expected it was a lot harder facing him in person.

"Come on," He panted, flipping back to dodge the fatal cross slash, "Let's talk this out." Kimimaro didn't even acknowledge him, the bored look in his eyes pulling the medic into despair. Was he being played with right now? He dodged to the side, feeling somewhat successful at the sight of the katana lodged in the tree trunk. To his amazement though, the Kaguya never stopped his flow, simply releasing the blade and drawing a new one from who knows where. How many more swords did he have one him? Kabuto had heard legends of the Kaguya and of their kekkei genkai, but he had yet to see anything other than flashes of silver. "Misumi, Yoroi, We're-" He turned his head, looking for his comrades whilst formulation an escape plan, only for it to crumble at the bloodshed he saw.

"Sorry to inform you, but your teammates are no longer able to fight, thus disqualifying you from the exam." Haku didn't bother to clean his weapon, instead leaving the hunk of metal laying in a pool of blood while he patted down his kimono. All too late Kabuto seemed to realise one teammate was missing, feeling the reality of his mistake when his back collided with something other than a tree and his arms were restrained.

"We are currently ahead of our schedule," A monotonous voice informed, his words coming from behind the medic and confirming his fears, "As soon as we're done here it should only take a couple of hours to reach the tower."

"I see." He didn't even look at him. None of them did. Kimimaro turned his head to the side, mid swing, as something seemed to catch his interest, not even twitching at the spray of blood that hit him. And then Sai dropped him, stepping over him like a mere obstacle. He did feel some sort of relief as they believed him dealt with, giving him a brief moment to focus his chakra on healing the fatal wound.

"Gu-ah..." A foot landed on his back, pressing him against the ground, and aggravating the already excruciating wound.

"I almost forgot," Kimimaro's voice came from above, marking him as Kabuto's current abuser, "Sensei said you were unexpectedly persistent. She would be disappointed if I didn't confirm your death."

**A/N Thank you for reading. (Please let there be no errors)**

**And here we have vague Gaara scene (of which the results will be scene later...though he'll still be the loveable, bloodthirsty child we know).**

**Iruka has a crush, whoooooooooooo.**

**Uh, Jiraiya and Hiruzen are in town...**

**There's Kimimaro's superiority syndrome showing a bit, Haku's hidden cruelty/sadism/deceit/whatever, Sai's uncaringness (read: apathy) and more of Kimimaro's superiority.**

**By the way. Kabuto's dead. That happened :D**


	31. The snake in the grass

"Sensei." Her students weren't nearly as surprised as she would've liked when she popped out of the summon scroll, their impassive faces staring at her and awaiting orders.

"Good job on passing the second test," Miyu brought her hands down, ruffling each head affectionately whether her students enjoyed it or not, "You're the first group that's made it. Congratulations on setting the new record." Kimimaro stepped forward, handing her a slightly blood-stained scroll.

"Yakushi Kabuto was dealt with as asked." Her first student informed, receiving a particularly warm smile that had the corners of his own mouth turning upwards.

"How are your conditions?" Their sensei asked, not seeing any visible injuries.

"Good." Haku answered, as he was the one in charge of their health. Being the particular ninja that they were, their chakra expenditures had been rather low, most of which would have recovered by now. Kabuto's team had been a minimal threat and they hadn't come across any others making their trip to the tower nothing short of a breeze.

"Well, let's get you all settled in. You have four extra days to relax." She ushered them through the door with her usual antics but Sai couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"Sensei." She turned at his voice, tilting her head in question.

"Yes, Sai?"

"Are you doing something important right now," He furrowed his brow as he tried to word his thoughts, "I mean to ask if there is a particular reason why you sent a shadow clone to greet us."

"Ah," She was surprised he had noticed so quickly, and made sure to note it down for future reference, "I'm currently dealing with a small pest."

She flashed through the dense treetops, passing by completely unnoticed, her mind filled with only necessary information and nothing else.

He is running south. The fox told her, unable to continue his hunt. She had given him strict orders, and his priority no matter what, was to watch the kids. Yes, he answered, hearing her thoughts, They have been marked. He had said 'they', meaning more than one, and Miyu felt herself hissing in anger. The curse seal was not the problem, it was the fact the disgusting snake had dared to lay his hands on those precious to her. Quickening her pace she passed remnants of battle, keenly listening for the sound of metal. She heard the clangs and the grunts, almost disappointed she had not been the first to greet the snake. Then again it seemed only fitting that the first one to find him would be his former 'apprentice'.

"Gah!" Miyu caught the flying body as it hurtled towards a tree trunk, taking the impact with ease.

"You should be more careful, Anko." The blonde advised, sitting the woman down as she seemed no longer able to fight, clutching at the abominable mark on her neck.

"Ah, Uchiha Namikaze Miyu," His voice was sickly sweet, and she made to show her disgust when she turned to him, eyes narrowed, "I'm honoured to be in your presence." As a child she had been an enigma, hostile towards him from the very beginning. Growing older had changed neither of those facts.

"Orochimaru," she bit out, retrieving a scroll from her pouch, "You're as repulsive as usual. And you wondered why I never liked you."

"And you're tongue is just as cutting as I remember." He waved off her insults easily, feeling the typical regret of not possessing her when he had the chance. She was beautiful, deadly, with raw power running through her veins, and it was everything he had ever wanted in a body. Alas this also meant she was dangerous, and as he wasn't quite eager to start a fight with her. He prepared to flee.

"I have bigger problems than you on my mind right now," Miyu threw him the scroll with an amused look, "I'm warning you not to do anything that might annoy me further." She wasn't confident she could catch him, not when he could simply shunshin away, so she would give him a parting gift and wait for a time he committed to a fight. His current visit was to mark his targets and she was more than capable of dealing with that, making his efforts in vain, not that he would know until much later on.

"You should watch you words, child." He caught the scroll, vanishing as she had suspected a second after.

"I'm sorry you had to endure it for so long," Miyu apologized, giving the tough woman an impressed look. It seemed her teammate had great taste in women she mused flippantly.

"Hah, I've already gotten used to it, a few more years was nothing," Anko offered her slight assurance, rubbing her neck where the burning had only just faded, "I'm just happy, I'll finally be rid of his mark." It was a nuisance, a reminder of her younger self's naivety, and after resigning herself to her fate, she was finally being given a second chance.

"I suppose I should inform you that this will hurt." Her blue eyes bled into red and her pupils swirled together as she activated her kekkei genkai . Her method was perfect, flawless, though only when done correctly. If her control wavered, Anko would be burned alive...

"I've probably had worse." The dark haired woman laid down on the hard bed and closed her eyes. She felt the unusually cool touch of the other's fingers on her neck and a moment later wished to take back her carefree words. It burned, worse than it had when she was marked, and more painful than when her traitorous teacher was near. She gritted her teeth which such force she feared they would shatter, all in an attempt to hold back her screams.

"Almost done." Miyu worked deftly, her flame covered fingers appearing to phase into the shaking body at moments. What she did was more than a complicated sealing, but it was as simple as a cleansing. Before Amaterasu, the flames that consumed all, Orochimaru's taint was nothing. The only thing she had to do was control it, stop it from burning anything it shouldn't. The whole process took less than an hour, though her patient had felt like it had been far longer.

"That's it?" Anko asked, her voice sounding weird to her ears. She was tired, exhausted beyond belief, but had more important things to do than sleep.

"That's it," The blonde chuckled under her breath. Of course Anko would still be conscious, where most others would have fainted, "It'll feel raw for the rest of the day, but it should bother you no more. Unless you get bit again that is." Anko vehemently shook her head.

"Maybe I should start wearing scarves?" She joked. It was easy being around Miyu, unlike some of the more unsavoury villagers, but she had always considered it funny that the outcasts had become friends. At least by now the massacre had been mainly 'forgotten', and with this, her unsavoury past would too, disappear.

The blonde reclined peacefully one of the few couches in what could be considered the lounge of the tower, one hand idly running though her partner's fur. Her students were within sight, idly doing whatever they considered a hobby. For Kimimaro it was training, for Haku, reading, and for Sai, it was watching others. He seemed particularly interested in her, simply staring without a single note of boredom. "You should spend your time better." Miyu recommended, cracking her blue eyes open.

"I was told that it was important for me to observe others." He replied, his face seemingly defaulting to a smile.

"You can multitask," She stated, "Do you know what your role on this team is?"

"Intelligence and ranged assault." He answered instantly.

"Correct," She applauded him with a couple of wry claps, "Apart from that, I was hoping to get you into demolition and sabotage, but more importantly sealing."

"Sealing?" The boy echoed curiously, telling her she had successfully caught her attention.

"Your signature jutsu require the use of ink, and as such it would be convenient if you could use it for something else," She explained with a glint in her eyes. She knew for a fact the boy was adapt at making explosive tags and that in itself meant he had invested some effort, and therefore interest, in the branch of skills, "Of course it's not easy, but if you wanted to learn I would be willing to teach." Sai seemed to consider her offer, weighing want against necessity. He had become increasingly confused with the amount options she had given him under her teachings, and in this case could see no downside other than a loss of time.

"I would appreciate that greatly." He replied, feeling almost excited at the prospect. He did note however, how his teacher swiftly pulled out a pile of reading scrolls, as if she had planning this for a while, and completely predicted his answer. Looking around he noted that his teammate had pause in his sword swings and was watching them, in particular, him with an odd expression. Sai would have loved to know what was going through the Kaguya's head, but seeing as he had unquestioningly killed another Konoha nin on the fineprinted request of their sensei, he could easily assume it was about the older blonde.

"So how did it go?" The Hokage asked her, weaving his fingers together in a show of his anxiety.

"As expected," Miyu replied, stretching her neck tiredly, "He escaped before I could stop him, of course after marking both Naruto and Sasuke with the cursed seal."

"I see." Minato frowned, his want to go help his son conflicting with his desire to have him succeed on his own.

"They will live," She stated confidently, "And they will pass. Kakashi has not trained them to be weak."

"Hah, I should believe in them more," He sighed, leaning back in his chair, "You'll remove the seal when they arrive at the tower?"

"It depends," the younger blonde shrugged, "If they arrive early I will have time. If not they will have to pass the preliminary handicapped. They don't quite have the same pain tolerance as Anko, and might be out for a while after."

"How much does it hurt?" Minato asked curiously. She pondered it for a while, bringing her fingers to her chin.

"I've been told it feels as if you're being set on fire," Miyu answered, finding it accurate for what it was, "Nothing too much."

"Sure..." He could only wonder what was 'too much' in her opinion but chose not to voice his queries, not really wanting to imagine the torture scenes she was sure to describe.

"Well, I won't keep you here too long. Both Sarutobi and Jiraiya are running the perimeter with Iruka, so you can enjoy the peace with your team. Get them trained up and warn the other teachers that the Chuunin exams may be sped up." He rubbed his temples, as he looked at the invitations he had written sitting innocently on the desk. The finals would have the leaders for other nations grace Konoha with their presence, and he feared a war if anything disastrous happened.

"You'll get even more wrinkles with a face like that," the younger blonde mentioned, giving a gentle smile to help ease his worries, "No matter what, we will keep Konoha safe from any threat. If it means dealing with traitors, so be it, if it means dealing with the other nations, then that it what should be done."

"Miyu." Minato's tone was tense. He had no wish for Konoha to suffer, especially with him in the Hokage's seat.

"There won't be another war, Minato," She promised, with a certainty that came from her heart, "Konoha is currently the strongest of the Elemental Nations, and anyone would be a fool to go against us. If there is someone stupid enough to try and harm us, I will personally cut them down myself, no matter who they might be." She spoke with conviction and loyalty, enough to make anyone feel safer.

She left his office in the usual manner, through the window. This time though, there was someone watching her, waiting for her on the roof she chose to land on. The figure was male, shrouded in the ambiguous guise of a Konoha Anbu. "Miyu." His voice was full of warmth despite the respectable distance he kept.

"No, 'Onee-san'?" she asked, quirking her lips in a small smirk. How she wished she could turn back time just a little bit to see his chubby, childlike visage again. "Welcome back, Tachi."

"Weasel." Her younger brother corrected, slight annoyance in his tone though the face underneath his mask was probably as impassive as always. "How are the exams progressing?" He asked curiously, aware of the impending danger.

"Good." Kurama had been keeping an eye on the youngest Uchiha and his team, and so far they were doing well. "Are you done with your mission then?" He looked rather tired but that was to be expected considering the non-stop flow of missions he had been given.

"Yes," He appreciated that, while the Hokage couldn't exactly give him a break right now, he had enough sense to give him an easy but high ranking mission, "This is for you." He handed her an unbelievably realistic paper flower, one that she knew could only be from a certain blue-haired ninja.

"Thank you," Accepting the trinket and understanding the underlying message it held, she felt her own concerns relieved. Everything was going to plan so far, and there was no scenario that she was unprepared for. This time, when the snake moved to strike, Konoha would bare its own fangs, and the very village Orochimaru was born from, would be his grave.

"You are thinking too much again," Itachi commented wryly, head tilted up to watch the skies, "You need to relax once in a while."

"You of all people, don't need to tell me that." She replied, raising a brow at the overworked Anbu captain. He merely shrugged, not one to regret his choices. He had expected this once he had entered the elitist system, and within the dark environment, he thrived. "So, what's your new mission?" the blonde queried. It was rare of him to show his face and usually it was her who had to hunt him down.

"Protection duty." It was pretty much the higher leveled version of gate duty, which usually meant shadowing some nobles of some sort. Not exactly the type of job you gave to an S-ranked Anbu.

"Oh? And who's has the privilege of your impeccable skill?" There was mirth in her speech knowing that most nobles were rather hard to deal with, "I hope it's not the Daimyo...or even worse, his wife."

"I'm glad you approve of my skill," His voice too held a fair bit of humour, the brief bit of knowledge he held over her being the reason why, "After all, the one I'm guarding is you." She took a second to take in his words, mouth parted in surprise. Slowly the understanding came to her, and with it, irritation.

"I don't need a bodyguard." She muttered adamantly, turning and trudging her way back to Training Ground 44 with the Anbu trailing behind her.

"You are the honourable niece of the Hokage," Itachi explained, surprising her with a title she was sure hadn't existed in her time, "As his blood relative and possible successor, it is only right for you to be guarded." Miyu paused causing him to stop as well. She wanted to remind him that she was older than him, wiser than him, stronger than him, but something else caught her attention.

"Successor?" She echoed, eyes widening minutely.

"Minato-san is quite young for his position, and very capable as it is, so not many people have considered who would replace him if he was to step down for whatever reason," The proud Uchiha explained, a smirk playing on his lips, "But I tend hear some interesting things from the council after their meetings, and many think the next Hokage will be you."

"I'm not suited for that position," Miyu dismissed the subject shaking her head, "Besides, there are many more people who want it far more." Itachi huffed a little at her disregard, but didn't say anything else, simply following with his eyes on her distant back.

The second part of the Chuunin exams, while set to last for five days, ended on the afternoon of the fourth. For three days, her team and the Suna team were the only ones to occupy the tower, the participants staying far away from each other in respect and disinterest. Itachi stayed by her side for the majority of the time, a silent presence that wasoddly comforting. The morning of the fourth day was when the rest of the successful participants tumbled in. First was Gai's team, looking as impeccable as one could after spending days in a forest, next came Kurenai's looking slightly tired but without outstanding injuries, followed closely by the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho. Only a single antagonistic team made it through, Orochimaru's pets looking worse for wear. And then, as night approached, Kakashi's team walked through, or rather Sakura walked with her two other teammates leaning heavily on her for support, their sensei shining with pride behind them.

"You guys look horrible," She told them, looking at how messed up they each were, "But I'm proud of you." She told it to them as a family member, as a friend, seeing as Kakashi had filled the position as their mentor.

"Inside the forest, we-," Sakura spoke in hushed tones her voice unsteady with certain emotions, "We encountered Oro-" Miyu gently covered her mouth, shaking her head.

"I know. The village is aware and the necessary protective measures are already in place." She placed a reassuring hand on the girls pink hair. She had gotten it cut after the Wave Mission so it hadn't been particularly long at the start of the exam, though now it was even shorter, with an uneven cut and singe to it. "The Chuunin Exams will continue, and that is what you should focus on. The snake is no threat to us."

"Is there enough time to deal with the mark?" Kakashi asked as they moved away from the entryway to a more secluded section. The blonde looked down at the two boys, noting their exhaustion. They were dead on their feet, too preoccupied with weariness that they didn't even respond to the waves of their friends.

"No," She knew that they needed their rest, and one day would not be enough time to recover from the treatment, "I will seal it away, but it'll have to be postponed until after the next part." She left it to Kakashi to lead them to their rooms, hoping that they would return to their energetic selves after a short reprieve.

**A/N Thank you for reading my dear readers (especially those of you who heave kept up with my whimsical/horrible updating habits)**

**Alright, time for some recap.**

**Yes, she did give Orochimaru a scroll with Kabuto's head (that and a nasty surprise). And yes it was a very anti-climatic 'no-battle' scene. I figured he wouldn't fight her now when reinforcements were surely on their way. He needs his own back-up and the force of the Suna as they invade etc.**

**Uh, yeah. The seal is gone like that. Bam. (I'm not gonna bother drawing out the heaven's Seal nonsense when Miyu could easily remove it. It's not as if Sasuke of Naruto would end up using it anyway, nor would they defect to Orochimaru).**

**Oh, and this is Iruka x Anko (I imagine him to hold Miyu in high regard, with a puppy love for her in his younger years. Of course he's grown out of it, but I felt it would seem accurately for him to fall in love with Anko (considering how similar she is to Miyu). I also reckon Anko would be a sucker for the kind and caring Iruka...even if she acts annoyed.**

**Itachi's her bodyguard now 3 yay for Tachi being close by (also just Minato being slightly protective...hahhah...hah)**

**And with that Part Two of the Exams are over :D Look forward to the outcome of this all (though i fear it will be underwhelming)**


	32. Preliminaries part 1

She commanded the room. Whether she knew it or not, in her presence others stood straighter, either voluntarily or subconsciously. He for one took great care in his actions, never doing anything that could harm her reputation, if anything striving to become her pride. His teammates, despite how recently their team was formed, fell under his lead and followed her with ease. Such was their natures.

"First of all, concerning the second test, congratulations on passing!" Anko's voice was loud, her voice carrying over to everyone gathered, less than a quarter of what they had begun with. The rest of her opening went by him ignored, his attention focused elsewhere. Their Hokage was speaking now, but he was focused on the figure behind the impressive man. Blue eyes caught his own and immediately he turned his attention back on the speech, chiding himself for already letting any potentially important details pass by unheeded.

"...This is a replacement for war," He heard their leader explain, "While it is nice to advertise friendship among countries, the Chuunin Exams is merely a way for the allied nations to scout one another. Those watching the Third Exam will be your leaders, officials, and other individuals of influence. It is where you shinobi will risk your lives, for the prestige of your village. Through you, they will determine the strength of your nation. It is a fact that the strength of a country is the strength of its village, and the strength of its village is the strength of its ninja. And that can only be determined when you fight with your lives on the line." Minato smiled, his serious expression dropping in place of a friendlier one.

"That being said, you still have a choice in deciding your future, and may drop out whenever you wish." He liked the looks he saw in the participants eyes, most of them determined and undeterred by his speech. With a wave of his hand the village leader stepped back, in his place the next rounds referee stepped forward, ready to explain the next set of rules.

"Hello everyone," the pale jounin started with a slight cough, "I am Gekko Hayate." Unusually, one of Konoha's renowned tokubetsu jounin, seemed nothing more than a rather sickly man. "I'm sorry to say, but before the actual test there is something I must ask all of you to do," He paused, clearing his throat loudly, "It's a preliminary test to decide who will get to participate in the third round."

"Preliminary? What do you mean!" There were small shouts of outrage from the students who had been through too much to be denied the opportunity.

"Sensei...I'm a bit confused about this preliminary," Sakura voice rose out of the mumble as she voice her concerns, "Why aren't we all allowed to participate in the next test?"

"Uh...It seems that the first and second test may have been a bit too easy, and thus we have too many people remaining," Indeed they should have prepared something tougher for the extraordinary genins they had been testing, "According to the chuunin exam rules, we must have a preliminary round to reduce the amount of participants for the third test. As the Hokage said earlier, there will be many important guest and the fights may go for quite long. We are pressed for time." He let out a shaky breath, his tired eyes raking over the potential candidates, "So anyway...those who aren't feeling well...those who feel like quitting after the explanations, come forward now. We will be starting the preliminaries immediately."

It wasn't Akado Yoroi that faced Sasuke, due to his untimely demise, but instead Abumi Zaku. And this time whilst his arms weren't blown up by Shino's bugs, they had been broken brutally by an enraged Sasuke. Whatever the oto-nin had said in that arena had riled the Uchiha up to the point where Orochimaru's taint had begun to leak from her seal.

It was barely noticeable, but still enough for her to pull him aside after the match.

"Sasuke," He stood proud after his victory, walking back steadily without another look at the loser, "You're going to have to miss the rest of the fights."

"What?" the Uchiha blinked at his sister wide-eyed, his tiredness forgotten in place of astonishment. Miyu leaned down, speaking in a hushed tone.

"I'm going to take the seal off you, and I'm afraid you'll probably be unconscious for the rest of the matches?"

"Can't this wait till after? Haku's up next, see." He gave her a pleading look but caved instantly after catching her gaze. No matter how strong he was, how resolved he was, he could tell this matter was unnegotiable.

"I'm confident he will win, with or without me watching," She replied, ushering him upstairs to a room where her fox lay waiting. "You can ask Sakura or Kakashi about the rest of the matches."

"What about Naruto?" Sasuke asked curiously as the animal jumped off the bed to make space for him.

"Well he'll be joining you soon enough." She looked at the mark on his neck unhappily. There was little she could do to make the experience better, merely soundproofing for security. If it was possible she would have put him to sleep, but maybe it would be a good experience? "I suggest you clench you teeth," Miyu warned, black fire lighting her finger tips as she manifested her hypnotic Sharingan.

Shino forfeited, the smart genin knowing his limits much better than his reckless friends. He knew when he was at a disadvantage, when he was outclassed, and when he had more to lose than gain. "Aw, Shino," Kiba slung a friendly arm over his teammate, his toothy grin offering some comfort, "I was hoping to see a more exciting fight!"

"Kiba-kun." Hinata reprimanded him quietly, sneaking glances at the victor and his teammates. There were a lot of people here that she would rather not fight.

"It's fine," The bug-user sighed, he had hoped to at least make it into the next round, "The situation was unfavourable for me as my bugs do not like the cold." It was hard to utilize his clan's specialty when they were rendered useless.

"They're sensitive to heat, huh," Kiba frowned, if only his teammate could've gotten a hand from the forest's giant leeches, "They shouldn't even be competing." He turned his head to stare at the overpowered team. He was confident, and sure of his own abilities, but that didn't mean he would want to fight them, especially when they were clearly already a rank or so high up. His mother taught him to have back bone, but also to not pick fights that he would lose.

"Kimimaro-san is next." Hinata stated as a new pair of names appeared on the screen. She watched the swordsman end his conversation, walking down to the arena with graceful steps. It was about then that his sensei returned, alone, giving Haku a proud look as he announced his win.

"I'm happy you didn't harm his bugs," Miyu told him quietly as she watched Kankuro enter the ring from above, "Though short-lived, he cares for them."

"I can tell," The ice-user replied, feeling respect for his opponent, "He forfeited once he realised they would freeze, since without them his chances were slim." It was an unfair matchup, but hopefully would serve as a source of growth for the other genins.

There was no talk between the competitors, nor jeers, jabs or cutting remarks, both merely focused on their unusual opponents. Kimimaro had unsheathed his sword as he entered the ring, and on the call of 'go', he dashed forward swing his sword out in a swift motion.

"Careful with t-that," the Suna nin replied as he landed from his jump back. He had a peculiar way of speaking and the swordsman attributed it to the fact that it wasn't flesh that showed through the tear in his clothes. From the slash of his blade, clothes and skin alike peeled away showing an odd wooden interior. "I was right not to underestimate you."

The voice was muffled, coming from the large bandaged object on his back. It was unravelled and soon enough he was facing two opponents, one clearly more human than the other.

"A doll?" Kimimaro had only heard of one puppet user, and it hadn't been a story he liked seeing as his master had come close to dying. Other than rumours and assumptions he had no idea what such shinobi were capable of but was confident his blade would cut through anything.

"I want to ask about that sensei of yours," Kankuro spoke lowly, only for his opponent to hear, "But this hardly seems like an appropriate time..." Kimimaro leapt forward again, surprised as the doll came to meet him halfway, its strength surprising considering its wooden appearance.

"Focus on the match." In a swift motion he pulled out a second, small sword, throwing it passed the doll and at its master. He did not like the way the teen had been eyeing his master.

"Whoa," His sidestep was delayed enough for the blade to tear his sleeve, but fast enough he remained unharmed, "See what I mean? Karasu-" On his call the three-eyed head jerked closer, a poison tipped kunai flying out of his mouth.

"Che." The Kaguya deflected it, raising the handle of his sword to protect his face, and then disengage. It would be dangerous to continue close combat against a foe with too many hidden weapons.

_X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X_

**The end.**

**I hope you enjoyed this story a lot.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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